The cup of human kindness is not always what it seems -- at least not in France.
According to a report posted yesterday on the website of BBC News, soup kitchens in that lately much benighted land have been forbidden by the authorities there from distributing free helpings of their traditional native cuisine to their poor and hungry compatriots, because the pork contained in such forms of cuisine has been judged to render its free distribution n public a form of discrimination against Jews and Muslims whose respective religion forbids them to eat such meat.
Known as ‘Identity Soup’, the French authorities ordered the meaty broth be removed from offer outside central railway stations because they judged it would be liable to result in public disorder.
Presumably, when such broth is offered in a French restaurant, its accompanying price tag prevents it from being discriminatory because it renders the soup equally unavailable to all without means to pay for it, regardless of their race, creed or colour.
On the other hand, surely in strict consistency, if the free distribution of such soup is deeemed inflammatory because not equally available to all regardless of their race, creed or colour, why should not its sale be judged equally as discriminatory and hence inflammatory?
More seriously: why on earth should not right-wing groups, if they wish, be at liberty to offer in public free food only acceptable to those whom these groups find acceptable?
If these groups are thereby making a political statement through that gesture less generous in spirit than we might like, so what? It is not as if they are saying by it: ‘Non-Jews and non-Muslims only’. It is the Jews and Muslims who freely choose to abstain from eating pork who are here choosing not to consume the broth on offer. They are not being forbidden from consuming the soup by the groups placing it on offer.
One wonders, though, whether the price of European countries trying not to allow any offence to be caused to any of their minorities might not one day end up being their imposing on all a prescribed uniform cultural identity from which all traces of historic individuality have been carefully removed by fiat in the supposed interests of ethnic and racial harmony, and, if so, whether the price of such artificially-induced harmony might not have been too high to be worth paying.
Comments (2)
DO NOT TOUCH OUR PORK SOUP !
You may have heard about the Identity Soups. These traditional pork soups are distributed in several towns in France and Belgium by Identity associations that are wishing to help their compatriots living in poverty.
These de Identity soups have been accused of racism because, since they contain pork, they would exclude Jews and Muslims. Still, pork meat is key to the traditional Gallic art of cooking (Read again the Asterix’ adventures !). It is also the cheapest meat and this is an important factor of choice for non-subsidised associations. And, last but not least, when Jewish or Muslim associations are helping their fellows from the same religion they choose to serve kosher or hallal soups and this does not shock us nor does it shock anybody else… Now, when Europeans are trying to help their fellow compatriots with pork, why should it then be considered as racism ?
January 14th 2006, following a request from the Mayor of Strasbourg (North East of France), the Prefect (representing the French State) has prohibited the distribution of the Identity Soup with the support of the police and has arrested the head of the association organising the soup, named Solidarité Alsacienne (Alsatian Solidarity).
IN FRANCE THE STATE PREVENTS
FRENCH PEOPLE TO HELP FRENCH AND EUROPEAN PEOPLE !
All European nations are concerned by this measure : if we do not react today, tomorrow they might prohibit the croissant as the racist symbol of the European victory against the Turkish Muslim army that was at the door of Vienna in 1683. Or, like a director of a British school did, they may prohibit to tell stories such as “The three little pigs” under the excuse that it could heart the sensitivity of Muslim kids. It is now that we shall react !
OUR ARMS ARE THE PHONE AND THE EMAILS !
If you want to protect French and European culinary traditions and especially the freedom of Europeans to live on their own soil according to their ancestral customs, phone, send a email and ask your friends to do the same to :
- the Prefect of Bas-Rhin, Jean-Paul FAUGERE : chantal.jaouen@bas-rhin.pref.gouv.fr - tel. (33) 03 88 21 67 68),
- the Mayor of Strasbourg, Fabienne KELLER : fkeller@cus-strasbourg.net - (tel. (33) 03.88.43.65.08)
- the Mayor’s « Premier Adjoint » Robert GROSSMANN: rgrossmann@cus-strasbourg.net - (tel. (33) 03.88.43.65.03),
- the local newspaper: redaction@dna.fr (tel. (33) 03.88.21.55.00),
- please copy us using the following address (this will be used to count the emails sent) : contact@les-identitaires.com
This call is sent in more than fifteen European countries as well as in North and South America, Canada and Quebec. Our objective: that the Prefect, the Mayor and the local newspaper receive each 100.000 emails asking for freedom for Identity Soups. No insult, no threat, no attachment, just these few words as a title :
FREEDOM FOR OUR PORK SOUP !
LIBERTÉ POUR NOTRE SOUPE AU COCHON !
For any information on Identity Soups :
http://solidarite-alsacienne.hautetfort.com
http://www.association-sdf.com
http://www.soulidarieta.org
http://www.renaissancesociale.be
Posted by Identitaire | February 2, 2006 3:21 PM
Posted on February 2, 2006 15:21
It's a typically counterproductive decision a government. Now no homeless people get to have free soup, and the far right group has something else to add to its sense of grievance and oppression (the very things that help such groups appeal to people's sense of alienation and disconnect from the state and their community).
Posted by James Hellyer | January 26, 2006 4:07 PM
Posted on January 26, 2006 16:07