Dominique De Villepin Warns Against Treating French People Based On Their Origins

Former French Prime Minister Dominique De Villepin, a prospective candidate for the upcoming presidential elections, criticized the discrimination practiced against French people of non-French origins (Algerians and North Africans in general) by some right-wing and far-right politicians. He specifically mentioned the leader of the “National Rally” party, Jordan Bardella, who blamed young people of immigrant backgrounds for those events.

In a tweet on his “X” platform account on Friday, de Villepin addressed the leader of the far-right party, saying: “When you attribute the violence that followed Paris Saint-Germain’s victory (in the European Champions League) to ‘immigration,’ who exactly do you mean? Do you mean foreigners? Or those French people who were born here, grew up here, and were educated here, but whose names, neighborhoods, skin color, or presumed religion are enough, in your view, to make them suspicious?”

Jordan Bardella had pointed the finger at “young people of immigrant backgrounds who never miss an opportunity to express their rejection of institutions,” and even described these young people as “acting like predators.” More dangerously, he incited French people of French origin against French people of immigrant origin, saying: “Wake up, because soon they will break down the doors of buildings and enter your apartments.” He also indicated that “this issue will be at the heart of the presidential elections.”

Dominique de Villepin added: “Here lies the real question: When does a person become fully French? In the second generation? Or the third? Or the fourth? And must they meet a condition related to origin, appearance, or belief to be recognized as a legitimate child of the Republic?” These are questions that many moderate politicians and members of immigrant communities in France are now asking.

While the French politician, who is considered to belong to the authentic Gaullist current, expressed his rejection of acts of violence from any party and under any pretext, he stressed the necessity of state intervention to prevent the entrenchment of such practices. He tweeted: “I unreservedly condemn acts of violence, looting, and assaults on security forces. Those who vandalized must be punished. Those who looted must be prosecuted. Those who assaulted must be condemned. And the Republic must enforce respect for the law everywhere and on everyone, without leniency.”

Dominique de Villepin warned of the danger of systematic discrimination against French people of non-French origins: “The Republic judges actions, not origins. It does not turn an individual mistake into collective guilt. It does not confuse a criminal with an entire community, nor a French person with a foreigner, because their face, name, or family history does not appeal to some people.”

The former Prime Minister under former President Jacques Chirac divided French society into two warring factions, saying: “You claim to restore order, but you sow doubt. You claim to defend the nation, but you introduce an invisible hierarchy among French people: one category considered French without question, and another constantly required to prove that they are French enough.”

He warned that “this is not a republican logic. It is a logic inherited from the old legacy of the French far-right: one that sorts, classifies, and excludes, and which, through the darkest pages of our history, fueled xenophobia, racism, and anti-Semitism, in contrast to the idea of a humane and universal France, which does not judge people based on skin color, religion, family name, or lineage, but on shared history and respect for the law…”

French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin was the first to criticize Jordan Bardella’s racist statements, describing them as “inaccurate.” The European Parliament member (Bardella) was also asked to “let” the judicial system do its work “calmly” away from political interference.

Jordan Bardella’s statements constitute a formal and explicit declaration that his electoral project in the upcoming presidential elections will be based on attacking immigrants, a dangerous development that could create a serious state of polarization in French society, which is now more threatened than ever by fragmentation.