French press review 23 March 2018

Nicolas Sarkozy denounces lack of 'physical evidence' in "Libyagate" corruption case. French unions score points in their standoff with President Macron over reform. And is France's elite Saint Cyr a macho military academy ?

Sarkozy riposte

We begin with reactions to the counter attack launched by former French President Nicolas Sarkozy after being placed under investigation for financing his 2007 election campaign with money from late Libyan dictator Moamer Gadhafi.

Le Parisien reports that the 63 year-old conservative politician who served as French leader from 2007 to 2012 shook with indignation during an emotion-charged prime-time television interview on Friday evening as he tried to dismiss several investigations that have dogged him since he left office.

Le Figaro picked up a line in Sarkozy's  concluding remarks on the TF1 channel where he stated that he was hurt deeply as a person, not for himself but for his country," to see French judges listening to what he called  "sinister", "liars" and a "group of killers" from the Gadhafi regime.

Liberation subjects Nicolas Sarkozy's arguments to intense scrutiny expressing doubt that the French can be convinced about his innocence.

Midi libre holds that Sarkozy's outing on Thursday, seven years after he sent fighter jets to the other side of the Mediterranean to rescue Benghazi, was tantamount to the declaration of another Libyan war.

The publication observes that like it has always been the case with Sarkozy, his performance in front of the cameras was a matter of theatrics, clenched teeth, inflammatory language and a threatening tone and a quavering voice.

Midi Libre says that like a wounded beast he promised to take revenge sooner or later against what he described as the "Gadhafi gang"

In an editorial, Le Monde argues that while Sarkozy had not stopped denouncing the futility of the charges, it is hard to imagine that the experiences judges took the risk of placing him in police custody, without having strong and corroborated evidence against him.

For the newspaper if the suspicions of the investigative judges end up being founded, then the opprobrium piled on the former President will be “indelible”.

Union strikes

Thursday's massive demonstrations across France against President Emmanuel Macron's drive to shake up the French state is also on the front pages of the dailies analyze the likely impact of the showdown between trade unions and the government.

Le Parisien reports that 200,000 people nationwide according to the police and half a million by organizers worked out to join the strikes called by seven unions representing staff in the public sector and railway workers.

L'Humanité says it expects hundreds of thousands more to be inspired by the turn out and to come join the 2-day per week strikes over the next three months to vent their discontent and speak to citizens so they can defend their rights shared gains and their rights to equality for all in the Republic.

Le Figaro claims that the strikers and demonstrators not only fell short in their mobilization drive but saw the railway workers steal the limelight from teachers, taxmen and  health workers.

 According to Les Echos, the national rail transporter SNCF confronted as it is by competitive markets and decline needs to reinvent itself just as the Post Office which rushed to diversify its portfolio reverting banking service delivery and even driving schools.

For l'Opinion it is now crystal clear that the reform of the SNCF will be the most polarizing issue of the summer as everybody moreorless has his cake to protect in a company that remains one of the last bastions of hardline unionism.

Saint Cyr

Today's Liberation publishes an investigation into allegations of discrimination the French Saint Cyr military academy.

The left-leaning paper found out that the prestigious institution founded in 1802 by Napoléon Bonaparte was in fact a male system solidly sitting on an assumed tradition.

The publication says it is complete with masculine codes, rites and hierarchical orders, mounted on cardinal values which prone an archaic and barbaric culture of sexual and moral humilliation of women.

Libé, also denounces what it claims is a deafening silence observed by the Academy's managerial staff which has moreorless encouraged groups of youn cadets who are set to become the elite forces of the military to make hatred an essence of their campaign against an alleged feminization of the French army.