Sunday, January 15, 2006

Cochons

A racist far right organization in France is delivering food to the poor. A case of extremists trying to clean up their act, or at least polish their image? Hardly. The food they are delivering is, without exception, made with pork. The name they've given to one of their ham dishes?

Identity soup.

They are distributing the food for purely political reasons. They want to blame homelessness in Europe on a surplus of immigrant labor. They also want to paint the homeless in France as being, essentially, Muslim. They hope by distributing this food, to provoke the Muslim homeless into refusing it, so to create some kind of manufactured analogy; i.e., that Muslims are ungrateful, that they are leeches on European society, that they reject European traditions, as demonstrated through their rejection of a good, old-fashioned French ham soup (they also make noise about Jews, hoping I guess to be a more equal opportunity offender, but Jews aren't exactly a widely impoverished and marginalized population in France, like the Muslims).

Indeed, I can't imagine a better analogy. Not, of course, of some sort of Islamic perfidy, but of the fake charity so often found amongst the right. Call it "compassionate conservatism" if you will, but the right, especially the religious right, loves public and pious displays of charity. Growing up in Salt Lake City, I was always a little quesy when visiting bigwigs coming to Utah would inevitably be given a tour of the Mormon Church's Welfare Square, cameras in tow. It's not that they weren't doing good work there, providing food and recycled goods to the poor. It was that such publicity tours made you wonder why they were doing it.

I'm sure that there are many good folks out there who give to others out of the pureness of their hearts. But beware those who give to buy their way into heaven, or as the case may be, into the political discourse. The Bible warns us not to give our alms on the street corner; that showy charity is no charity at all.

Identity soup indeed. I guess that's what you call it when ham is served up by a bunch of pigs.

2 Comments:

Blogger David said...

That last graf is a gem. Glad I found your site (via Jalopnik, of all things!).

All the best,
David

6:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

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

9:47 AM  

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