Fausta's blog

Thursday, December 08, 2005

France: Finkielkraut round-up
By way of introduction, see Nidra Poller's article, The Riot Act

Add one more casualty to the victims of the November incidents in France: Alain Finkielkraut, 56-year-old professor, philosopher, author, and subtle commentator on current events. This humane intellectual has been dragged into something like a cross between a medieval disputation, the Moscow Trials, and an al Qaeda beheading scene, simply because he deviated from the accepted interpretation of the violence then raging in France…and said it in an Israeli newspaper.

Here is the actual interview. Read it in its entirety and make up your own mind.

In the news wires and in the newspapers:
Sarkozy backs Finkielkraut over Muslim riot
Finkielkraut's Plain Talk On Race (via Steve. Emphasis mine)

Although Mr. Finkielkraut did not recant his opinions — on the contrary, he made it clear that he stood behind what he had said in Haaretz — these remarks were taken by MRAP as an apology and the threatened lawsuit was dropped. At which point, Haaretz decided to get back into the act. On November 27, it ran a front-page article with the headline, “After Threats, The Philosopher Finkielkraut Apologizes.” There followed a news story explaining that, faced with a lawsuit and vociferous criticism, Mr. Finkielkraut had expressed “disdain and disgust,” not for Le Monde’s distortion of his views, but for those views themselves.The clear — and false — implication was that he had buckled ignominiously under pressure

Older articles and headlines: Jewish philosopher at centre of riot debate in France
French Denounce Jew for ´Racist´ Remarks over Riots
French Jewish thinker sued
French NGOs Blast Writer for Racism Against Rioters
French NGOs Sue Writer Who Called Rioters “Muslim Rebels”

Blogs:
Sean La Freniere: French Philosopher Flamed

At Peaktalk:
December 6 Sarkozy weighs in
December 4 L'AFFAIRE FINKIELKRAUT
November 29 De Villepin talks
November 28 Finkielkraut recants Update Pieter kindly has linked to my round-up.

At Atlas Shrugs:
Haine de Juif: The frogs' spots never change
Dissecting the frog as gangrene spreads across Eurabia. Update Pamela has kindly linked to this round-up.

At Solomonia:
Sarkozy Backs Finkielkraut
Nidra Poller on l'affair Finkielkraut
OK, maybe Finkielkraut didn't recant...?
A Cheap Continent
Finkielkraut doesn't recognize himself
Finkielkraut: Left Behind. Update: Solomon has kindly linked to this round-up.

At Abracadabrah, Free France UPDATED

At No Pasarán Something like a cross between a medieval disputation, the Moscow Trials, and an al Qaeda beheading scene: Into the heart of the "Seine-y triangle"
Finkielkraut s'en prend à la boboïtude ambiante
M-cRAP
Le pogrom anti-Républicain

Update Sigmund, Carl, and Alfred post on Fausta, France, and Failure

The shrill, frenzied excoriation of Professor Finkeraut is based on lies, deceit, intimidation and deliberate misrepresentation and mistranslation, all tolerated and even encouraged by the French left and their new found Muslim blood brothers.