Some Americans, British Feel Iraq Heat in Paris
Mon March 24, 2003 11:58 AM ET
By Catherine Bremer
PARIS (Reuters) - Anti-American hostility may be far from the anti-French wave seen in the United States these days, but Americans and Britons in Paris have begun feeling some heat from Muslim opponents of the war in Iraq.
While incidents are still sporadic, both the foreigners and French officials are concerned that French Muslims -- mostly of Arab North African origin -- could take out their frustration over the war on English speakers.
"I feel really uneasy these days, especially in the rougher areas of Paris," said Jane, a Scot who recently had to flee from a train carrying her and her young son home to a racially tense Paris suburb after they were intimidated by Arab-origin youths.
Days before the war, a middle-aged American visitor to Paris was insulted, shoved to the ground and badly bruised in broad daylight by what he took to be North African aggressors as he wandered through the bustling Marais district.
Neither the U.S. and British embassies nor the police say they know of any specific violence toward Americans and British -- many of whom disagree with the conflict led by Washington and London and staunchly opposed by Paris.
Up to 350 Americans staged a protest in Paris this month under banners like "God Save America from George W. Bush," "New York Against Aggression" and "Thank You France."
Yet the approximately 35,000 U.S. and British expatriates in Paris, plus the tens of thousands of Anglo-U.S. tourists coming each month, are easy targets for those looking for trouble.
France's Muslim community, at five million the largest in Europe, ranges across the political spectrum from a large silent majority to fringes of Islamic fundamentalism. Many disaffected youths see Islam as a potent expression of their identity.
MINORITY OF HOTHEADS
A British reporter was last week harassed about his views on the war by French youths of North African origin on the Paris metro.
And a Paris tour guide for American university students said his clients had been sneered at in the street late at night and told "Go home, Americans." They also saw anti-American graffiti.
"There's a lot of hatred of Bush around, but I think it can be contained. You get hotheads everywhere that take advantage of a situation. But these are troubled people that don't represent the typical point of view," said writer Mark Cramer, founder of the group "Americans in France against the War in Iraq."
France's top Islamic leader Dalil Boubakeur warned Monday that the Iraq war risked pushing young French Muslims toward radical Islam and provoking acts of revenge for the war.
"Radical Islam has found a new legitimacy thanks to American policies," he told the daily Le Figaro. "I've already heard some youths saying they're spoiling for a fight."
With security tighter than ever around U.S. institutions, the American University in Paris has added extra guards and is advising students to lay low, Student Dean Paul Marcille said.
"We have been telling our students to be discreet and avoid getting into political discussions in the street. We're not exactly waving the American flag about at the moment."
reuters.com |
