France Must Clean its Yard Before Accusing Others

French MP for the New Popular Front, Mathilde Panot, exposed the double standards of the French authorities in dealing with the arrest of Boualem Sansal, stressing that “We (in France) also have political prisoners,” while at the same time trying to teach others lessons in freedom, democracy and human rights.

France made Sansal a public opinion issue, as the arrest of this person who committed “crimes” against his country and people has become daily news on French channels, newspapers and websites, where far-right figures are rampant, attacking Algeria, at a time when French President Emmanuel Macron has not hesitated to imprison seven “Kanak” opponents (opposition figures in the island of New Caledonia), who are demanding the independence of their country.

Asked by France Info about the arrest of Boualem Sansal, MP Mathilde Panot responded to the journalist by accusing her country’s authorities of detaining political prisoners, in a position that surprised the journalist who did not expect to be put in a corner.

“I am talking, for example, about the president of the FLNKS, who is imprisoned 17,000 kilometres from his territory, in Kanaky.” Mathilde Panot mentioned the case of Christian Tein, a Kanak independence leader who has been detained in a metropolitan prison in Mulhouse-Lutterbach (Haut-Rhin) since June 23, along with six other opposition figures who defend the rights of the Kanak people.

She also criticised indignation that she considers “variable geometry”, targeting in particular “the extreme right”, and called for mobilisation for “respect for human rights everywhere”, adding that “there should be no more political prisoners, in France or anywhere else.”

Two days ago, the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, made a statement in which he said that “Sansal’s imprisonment is unacceptable and unjustified,” in a blatant interference in Algeria’s internal affairs. The Foreign Minister’s statement was followed by another “outing” by the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, who said on Thursday that “the (French) state is on alert to release Boualem Sansal and enable him to reunite with his family in France as soon as possible.”

Christian Tein and his six companions have been in French prisons since last June 19 without trial until now, against the backdrop of the protests that took place on the occupied island of New Caledonia, on May 13.

According to an article in the French newspaper Le Monde dated July 3, 2024, Christian Tein, placed in isolated detention, could only speak briefly with his lawyer in Noumea, the capital of Caledonia, 17,000 kilometres from Paris. He is now fighting to avoid being deported and imprisoned in his hometown on the island, at least, where his family and relatives are, instead of demanding his right to release, as is supposed.

Since Sansal was arrested upon entering the country, the media and political circles in France have been in a state of uproar, alleging that Algeria violates human rights in what seemed to be a coordinated campaign between the political and media parties, with the target being Algeria, which is in a fierce confrontation with the former colony on several burning issues.

However, these French media and political circles completely ignored the issue of the imprisonment of six opposition political activists from New Caledonia, in the “metropolis” thousands of miles away, deprived of visits from their lawyers and families. Conversely, they exploit the arrest of Sansal an issue that offended many French people who consider a person who denies and betrays his origins and country, like Sansal, not worthy of receiving this artificial and unnecessary attention.