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French press review 15 February 2017

Many headlines this morning find a common threadwith a topic that has been shaking France for several days, nay, weeks now, the fate of Théo, the young man allegedly raped by police officers in the North of Paris, and the consequences.

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Libération has a full front page for both Adama Traore, a young man who died in police custody last summer in another Parisian suburb which led to violent protests there, and Théo, with a list of celebrities getting in line to have their voice heard when it comes to justice in France.

It refers to a letter signed by many public figures, published by the paper. It starts off by “Dear Future” and is a call to rally against police violence in a country that has suffered much at the hands of some police officers. The letter calls for justice, ethics -  and less violence.

Libération’s editorial says this isn’t a direct accusation against France and the police, it is simply, the paper says, a demand for the Republic to be irreproachable.

It says that the fact that President Francois Hollande went to Aubervilliers, in the suburbs of Paris yesterday, was meant as a peaceful gesture, but above anything else, it reveals yet again how the Left missed the opportunity to reach out to working class neighbourhoods.

And the two main articles dedicated to both Adama Traoré and Théo are meant as a wake up call, a need for justice and greater integration, and most of all, equality.  Painfully, it also begs for an end to what the paper calls ongoing police impunity.

Le Monde echoes this by headlining with “The Mothers, the last bastion against violence.”

The article follows these women, mothers of the youth in the suburbs, that are not making the headlines, but are “omnipresent” backstage.

The article points out that thanks to the mothers, who are constantly calling for peace, the suburbs have been kept “under control”, as a 20-year-old explains.

One of the mothers says that the anger the youth is feeling is increasing year on year, and the Théo scandal might be the final straw.

What they want to avoid is a repeat of the 2005 riots that shook France back then. But the mothers say the warning signs are there - but they are better organised to contain the violence this time around.

La Croix also has an article on this - saying that some young militants are trying to ease tensions in the suburbs, to avoid riots.

The paper says that because Théo called for peace after his assault, this helped calm people down, but nevertheless, anger remains very present.

La Croix though headlines with the current political atmosphere, calling these upcoming elections rather “particular” and the paper asks whether the process of the primaries shouldn’t be questioned.

The paper states that such process has completely overtaken the power of the main parties, and that, in the end, they tend to weaken the chosen candidate rather than empower him, or her, as intended.

Case in point? We are 70 days away from the election, and never before has it been this unpredictable.

Speaking of which, Le Figaro has an article on Francois Fillon and how he won over the most skeptical members of his party.

The article says this is one less obstacle on Fillon’s road to the presidential election. It continues by reporting Fillon’s word to his fellow Les Republicains members:

“Of course I am lucid, I know what kind of damage these allegations have caused, but there is no Plan B” the paper reports.

So hang on, Fillon won them back because of his goodwill or simply because there is no other possible outcome?

Polls do reveal he is standing now in third position, behind centrist candidate and former economy minister Emmanuel Macron and far-Right Front National leader Marine Le Pen.

Speaking of Macron, L’Humanité headlines with him, with a play of words claiming Macron is “televangelizing liberalism” - now, that is a mouthful, but what they really mean is that he is what they call “Francois Hollande’s spiritual son” and that Macron is leading a campaign that is literally turning its back on the Left.

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