France, which proudly claims to be birthplace of the rights of man, is experiencing an ugly phenomenon that owes nothing to the noble values of liberty, equality and fraternity expressed in the national motto.
In a disturbing wave of intolerance and hatred, mayors and other elected officials have been abused, threatened or attacked, a great-nephew of President Emmanuel Macron’s wife was beaten up by anti-government protesters, a far-right party is now the most popular in the land and neo-fascists have marched in Paris.
Recent weeks have seen levels of intimidation, criminal damage and violence reflecting a marked contrast to the seemingly cosy camaraderie of peaceful demonstrators banging saucepans to show their rejection of Mr Macron’s modest pensions reforms.
While riots, mainly involving activists from the far left and the militantly anarchist “black blocs”, are chiefly confined to Paris and other major cities, a small seaside town on the estuary of the River Loire in western France has become an unlikely focus of attention in this climate of lawlessness and tension.
The mayor of the quaint-sounding Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, Yannick Morez, resigned in fear and disgust on May 9. A moderate conservative, he decided he had enough after months of increasingly sinister hostility to plans to move a reception centre for migrants to a site near a school. The intimidation included death threats and an arson attack on his home that destroyed two cars parked outside.
France remains a thing of beauty, despite the ravages of occasional extreme weather as well as extreme politics
In a message posted on the town hall’s official website two days later, Mr Morez said he had sent a formal letter of resignation to the head of the Loire-Atlantique region after 15 years’ service to the local council. “I made this decision for personal reasons, in particular following the arson attack on my home and the lack of support from the state and after a long reflection with my family,” he wrote.
Mr Morez told the regional Ouest-France newspaper that neither he nor his wife and three children wanted him to continue in office after what had happened. He also said that in the seven years since the Calais Jungle migrants’ camp was dismantled and its occupants dispersed, no problems had been caused by those accommodated in Saint-Brevin.
It has since emerged that in the first quarter of this year, almost 900 elected officials across France were targeted in one way or another. Mr Macron expressed his outrage and ordered Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne to summon Mr Morez to Paris for talks, accompanied by assurances of greater support, now including plans for tougher sentences. Other mayors have said openly that they fear they may be the next victims.
Protests against Mr Morez have been organised by Reconquest, the party led by a beaten 2022 presidential candidate Eric Zemmour, generally regarded as even more far right than Marine Le Pen and her National Rally (RN) movement. RN supporters have also been vocal in opposing any welcome for migrants. However, by no means are all those gathering in Saint-Brevin from the town itself. They are joining the bandwagon after drifting in from outlying areas.
Although there are no grounds of suspecting Mr Zemmour, his party or RN of encouraging or condoning attacks or threats aimed at the mayor, they are hardly seen as forces for harmony. Mr Zemmour’s tub-thumping central theme is his rant against the supposed “great replacement” of the native population by hordes of Muslim immigrants contemptuous of French republican values – demonstrably grotesque, it nevertheless appeals to some in this restless country.
In fact, few on the centre or left of French politics recognise either Mr Zemmour or Ms Le Pen as republicans at all but accuse both of being xenophobic, Islamophobic rabble-rousers exploiting fears of alleged mass immigration, insecurity and a dilution of France’s identity. Photographs from one demonstration against the migrant centre, outside the Saint-Brevin-les-Pins town hall, show women carrying placards not only demanding the deportation of “clandestine people, delinquents and foreign criminals” but lamenting a decline in France’s status, which they blame on immigration.
Amid hand-wringing concern over the growing menace to democratic functions, Ms Le Pen now points to opinion polls and claims to lead a party that has gone from being the most hated in France to its most loved.
Gone are the assertions, before she was defeated by Mr Macron a little more than a year ago, that she would not stand again for the presidency in 2027 if beaten. She will – and those polls suggest that she’d win if elections took place now. Aided to a degree by being less rabid that Mr Zemmour – now supported by her own niece, Marion Marechal – she talks as if on-message, at least on immigration, with Britain’s governing Conservatives, led by the conventionally right-wing Rishi Sunak but including many MPs who might fit comfortably into the RN.
These strides have been achieved by the undoubted success of a relentless drive to sanitise her party and distance herself from its founder, her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, now nudging 95 and a veteran leader of the far right who has been repeatedly punished in the courts for comments judged racist or anti-Semitic.
Ms Le Pen even insists her party has never been extreme right, just more “patriotic”. This echoes the views of Philippe Lottiaux, one of her intake of MPs as the RN took 88 seats in legislative elections following last year’s presidential campaign. “With ‘extreme right’, there are two terms that are not appropriate,” he told me after being elected. “Extreme and right.”
Such protestations would be challenged by most political observers in France, while also contradicting those voters who have happily told TV interviewers of their intentions “to vote for the extreme right”.
Mr Lottiaux also said last year he agreed “with a number of Eric Zemmour's observations”. When everyone else inside the chamber of the National Assembly stood in solidarity with the mayor of Saint-Brevin, RN members remained defiantly seated. Their justification – lack of reciprocity, “political instrumentalisation” – sounded pitiful. And when neo-fascists gathered in Paris, their numbers included one of those RN figures whose attachment to old ways continues to embarrass the party, if clearly not enough to deter voters.
What we are left with is a country ill at ease with itself. The far right is not the only source of irrational rage; the left-dominated protests against pension reform have led to serious violence over a grievance the French see as fundamental but most people in Europe, accustomed or resigned to working longer, find incomprehensible. And there was something squalid about the beating up of Jean-Baptiste Trogneux, a chocolate shop owner in the president’s home town of Amiens, for no better reason than that Mr Macron’s wife, Brigitte, is a great-aunt. Three men who had taken part in an earlier pensions protest were detained.
For all that, France remains a thing of beauty. Despite the ravages of occasional extreme weather as well as extreme politics, visitors still find endless joy in the boulevards of Paris, the gorgeous landscapes of Normandy, the Dordogne and Alps as well as the vibrant Atlantic and Mediterranean resorts now expecting a bumper holiday summer.
Not for the first time when seeking to understand what makes the French tick and rebel against their lot, it seems useful to turn to the words of the French writer and broadcaster Sylvain Tesson, who declared France to be “a paradise populated by people who believe they’re in hell”.
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Company%20Profile
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
- Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
strategies
- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
Results
2.30pm: Expo 2020 Dubai – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: Barakka, Ray Dawson (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)
3.05pm: Now Or Never – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: One Idea, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson
3.40pm: This Is Our Time – Handicap (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Perfect Balance, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
4.15pm: Visit Expo 2020 – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Kaheall, Richard Mullen, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.50pm: The World In One Place – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1.900m; Winner: Castlebar, Adrie de Vries, Helal Al Alawi
5.25pm: Vision – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Shanty Star, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
6pm: Al Wasl Plaza – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Jadwal, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson
Indian origin executives leading top technology firms
Sundar Pichai
Chief executive, Google and Alphabet
Satya Nadella
Chief executive, Microsoft
Ajaypal Singh Banga
President and chief executive, Mastercard
Shantanu Narayen
Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe
Indra Nooyi
Board of directors, Amazon and former chief executive, PepsiCo
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Company profile
Name: Tharb
Started: December 2016
Founder: Eisa Alsubousi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Luxury leather goods
Initial investment: Dh150,000 from personal savings
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
UAE SQUAD
Ali Khaseif, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Khalid Essa, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Salem Rashid, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Mohammed Al Attas, Walid Abbas, Hassan Al Mahrami, Mahmoud Khamis, Alhassan Saleh, Ali Salmeen, Yahia Nader, Abdullah Ramadan, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Fabio De Lima, Khalil Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Muhammed Jumah, Yahya Al Ghassani, Caio Canedo, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 2 (Van Dijk 18', 24')
Brighton 1 (Dunk 79')
Red card: Alisson (Liverpool)
more from Janine di Giovanni
6 UNDERGROUND
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco
2.5 / 5 stars
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Results
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Nadhra, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Dars, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Musannef, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Taghzel, Malin Holmberg, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: M’Y Yaromoon, Khalifa Al Neyadi, Jesus Rosales
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (PA) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeem, Jim Crowley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
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UAE Team Emirates
Valerio Conti (ITA)
Alessandro Covi (ITA)
Joe Dombrowski (USA)
Davide Formolo (ITA)
Fernando Gaviria (COL)
Sebastian Molano (COL)
Maximiliano Richeze (ARG)
Diego Ulissi (ITAS)
First-round leaderbaord
-5 C Conners (Can)
-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);
-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)
Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)
Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng)
1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)
3 R McIlroy (NI)
4 D Johnson (US)
Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7%E2%80%9D%20LPTO%20Amoled%2C%202412%20x%201080%2C%20394ppi%2C%20HDR10%2B%2C%20Corning%20Gorilla%20Glass%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Qualcomm%20Snapdragon%208%2B%20Gen%202%2C%20octa-core%3B%20Adreno%20730%20GPU%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F12GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECapacity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20128%2F256%2F512GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPlatform%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Android%2013%2C%20Nothing%20OS%202%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%2050MP%20wide%2C%20f%2F1.9%20%2B%2050MP%20ultrawide%2C%20f%2F2.2%3B%20OIS%2C%20auto-focus%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%20video%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204K%20%40%2030%2F60fps%2C%201080p%20%40%2030%2F60fps%3B%20live%20HDR%2C%20OIS%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2032MP%20wide%2C%20f%2F2.5%2C%20HDR%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%20video%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Full-HD%20%40%2030fps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204700mAh%3B%20full%20charge%20in%2055m%20w%2F%2045w%20charger%3B%20Qi%20wireless%2C%20dual%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%2C%20NFC%20(Google%20Pay)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBiometrics%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fingerprint%2C%20face%20unlock%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20USB-C%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDurability%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20IP54%2C%20limited%20protection%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECards%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual-nano%20SIM%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dark%20grey%2C%20white%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nothing%20Phone%20(2)%2C%20USB-C-to-USB-C%20cable%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%20(UAE)%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dh2%2C499%20(12GB%2F256GB)%20%2F%20Dh2%2C799%20(12GB%2F512GB)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
