The Fifth Republic dedcides to not go gently into the good night of cultural hooliganism:
Any football match in France before which the country’s national anthem is booed will now be “immediately stopped”, French Sports Minister Roselyne Bachelot said Wednesday after meeting with President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The dramatic move followed the booing of “La Marseillaise” during France’s 3-1 friendly win over Tunisia at the Stade de France in Paris on Tuesday.
“Any match when our national anthem is whistled will be stopped immediately,” Bachelot said after talks with Sarkozy and French Football Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes.
“Government members will immediately leave the arena where our national anthem has been whistled.
No word, as of yet, how long the presidential huff will last.
The ball is now in the court of those jolly lads who boo at the Marseillaise, when they’re not burning an average of 112 cars per night.
So they’re going to take their ball and go home. That’ll show those bullies.
Two observations:
1. In France, something is always burning.
2. One of the links at the bottom of the Times Online article was: ‘Mass exodus as flames bear down on Los Angeles.’
I wonder if these things – the cars, France, and Los Angeles – are related?
Lex,
The 112 car article is a bit old. I was tipped off w/ the reference to Chirac as President and Sarkozy as the Interior Minister.
Just a heads up if it was unintended.
MPH, You old eagle-eyed Pecker-Wood…I too was tipped off to the old newsey-ness of the article by the date, October 21, 2006, clearly shown above the headline, “Why 112 cars are burning every day “…. Viva La France… indeed. Best
If George Bush was doing this, they’d call it fascism.
Patriotism? Flag? National Anthem?
What are those? Are they something good to eat? Surly you jest..of what importance are such mere trifles in this modern “progressive,” cosmopolitian, multi-cultural, post-colonial, post- modern, relativistic, deconstructionist, age of ironic nu-age hipness?
So, all you have to do is heckle a bit and everything stops? Sounds like an anarchist’s (soggy) dream!
Cancel the game for booing so the riot can begin…
Craig:
Take what balls and go home? The French never have had any in MHO.
True dat, E Yat.
Ah, mais c’est bete enfin!
but, but, but, dissent is the highest form of patriotism!
Oh say can you see, by the dawn’s early light, what so proudly we hailed…
Well I reckon y’all catch my drift. One of the things about which I yell at the radio when Neal Boortz is talking is his contempt for the National Anthem. I’ll be 60 soon, I’ve smoked too much, and still drink too much.
Yet, If we start the song on a boy pitch instead of a girl pitch, I can manage to sing the thing with pretty good pitch, but not perfect pitch. (I seem to be only somewhat autistic.)
A role model for me is my French grandfather who was as strident an American patriot as you could find. He died when I was only an infant, so I know him only through his letters.
He was also a great supporter of France in her time of need, and served as a volunteer with the Canadian forces in France (after he had become an American citizen) from 1914-1918.
I think he would be very pleased with Mr. Sarcozy’s vector.
Xairboss, A question… is “E Yat” the equilivent of “Re-Tart” ?…and if not why not…Best