The city of Val‑de‑Reuil is currently facing a serious affair that directly engages the moral and political responsibility of its municipal executive. At the center of the controversy are publicly expressed racist remarks made on the social network X (formerly Twitter) by Lahsaine Aït Baba, deputy mayor to Socialist mayor Marc‑Antoine Jamet, targeting Algerians.
The facts admit no ambiguity. The statements were preserved, archived, documented, and widely circulated. This is neither a rumor nor a misinterpretation: the remarks exist, are established, and were fully assumed by their author.
An Openly Assumed Racial Insult
In one of his messages, Lahsaine Aït Baba referred to Algerians as “kouloughli,” a term heavily burdened with political and historical connotations, long used as a racial slur by certain Moroccan royalist circles as part of an identity‑denigration campaign.
This expression is neither neutral nor harmless. It belongs to a rhetoric of stigmatization aimed at essentializing, humiliating, and delegitimizing an entire people in their very being and historical legitimacy.
Used by an elected official of the French Republic, such language constitutes a major political fault, an affront to human dignity, and a direct violation of the principles of equality and fraternity upon which the Republic is founded.
A Municipal Response Detached from the Gravity of the Facts
Following the controversy, the mayor of Val‑de‑Reuil, Marc‑Antoine Jamet, issued the following general statement:
Racism? A crime. Xenophobia? An ignominy. Chauvinism? Stupidity. I lived in Algeria, worked in Morocco. I love both. Equally and differently. Because they are equal and different. This is the only response that holds in France, in Normandy.
While presented as universalist and conciliatory, this message has been widely judged insufficient by many Algerians and French citizens of Algerian origin—particularly those living in Val‑de‑Reuil.
Indeed, the statement fails to explicitly condemn the racist remarks in question, makes no reference to either the facts or their author, and contains no clear repudiation of the deputy mayor responsible. When confronted with proven racist conduct, abstract appeals to general values cannot substitute for a firm, precise, and accountable political response.
More troubling still, no concrete measure was announced:
- no political sanction,
- no internal investigation,
- no word of appeasement addressed directly to the targeted community.
This dissonance between the seriousness of the offense and the fragility of the response is widely perceived as an evasion. For many, it reflects a deliberate refusal to assume the political responsibilities inherent in such a grave breach within the municipal executive.
Citizen Outrage and Institutional Lockdown
Indignation was immediate. Numerous French citizens of Algerian origin in Val‑de‑Reuil legitimately demanded explanations, apologies, and sanctions. Letters, public messages, and civic appeals were addressed to City Hall.
The institutional response, however, proved strikingly weak. Not only did the mayor refrain from condemning his deputy’s remarks or announcing any corrective action, but Algerian citizens or citizens of Algerian descent saw their social media accounts blocked after simply asking for justice and clarity.
This choice of silence, compounded by targeted censorship, amounts to tacit validation. It fosters a climate of impunity that is corrosive to social cohesion and unworthy of a municipality that claims allegiance to republican and progressive values.
A Troubling Drift That Is Far from Isolated
This affair cannot be dismissed as an isolated personal lapse. It forms part of a worrying pattern in which elected officials or public figures of Moroccan origin allow themselves to express hostile—or even explicitly racist—sentiments toward Algerians without ever being called to account.
The precedent involving Nadia Belaouni remains vivid. During public discussions on X (Spaces), overtly racist remarks targeting Algerians were voiced without her taking any distance or issuing the slightest condemnation. Repeated silence in the face of such discourse is no longer negligence; it becomes a method.
An Unavoidable Political Responsibility
There can be no double standards in matters of racism. When an elected official engages in hateful speech, political accountability is not optional—it is a republican and moral imperative.
As things stand:
- the racist remarks made by Lahsaine Aït Baba are established and documented;
- the municipality of Val‑de‑Reuil refuses to assume its responsibilities;
- the mayor opts for denial and suppression of debate rather than transparency and accountability.
The message conveyed is unmistakable: racism is tolerated when it targets certain communities.
The Demand for Justice and Exemplarity
Elected officials do not exercise an ordinary freedom of opinion. They embody the Republic. A deputy mayor who publicly insults a community forfeits, by that very act, the dignity attached to public office.
The citizens of Val‑de‑Reuil, regardless of their origins, are entitled to demand:
- an immediate and explicit public condemnation of the remarks made;
- clear and visible political sanctions;
- and an end to any policy of censorship targeting those who denounce racism.
Failing this, the affair will remain a symbol of the abandonment of republican principles and of a guilty silence in the face of overt racism.
Comments
Post a Comment