A Prefect of the French Republic hurls racist insult

Alert DateJuly 31, 2009 Country: France Address: Paris General Type: Racist discourse Racism and discrimination phenomena: Anti-migrant/xenophobia, Anti-roma/zinghanophobia
Groups affected / Interested in: Roma & Travelers, Ethnic minorities
Victims Data
Victims Nationality/Ethnic Origin French
Victims Gender Female
Victims Age 26-35
Victims Number 1
Fatalities - deaths N/A
Perpetrators Data
Perpetrators Nationality/Ethnic Origin French
Perpetrator Gender Male
Perpetrator Age 46-55
Perpetrators Number 1
Extremist/Organised Group Violence No

 

On 31 July 2009, at Paris-Orly Airport, coming back from La Réunion (Overseas French Territory), Paul Girot de Langlade, Prefect, sets off the alarm by crossing the security gates. A security employee required him to empty his pockets. The Prefect threw the contents of his pockets to the face of the man, angrily. A colleague of the watchman ((a black women coming from French West Indies) asked him to keep his calm; he then answered: “Where are we here? Some people would believe that we are in Africa!”. As other employees of the airport approached, because of the agitation, the Prefect concluded “Anyway, there are only Black people here!”, in front of several witnesses. The young woman lodged a complaint and in July 2010 Paul Girot de Langlade was condemned for racist insults (the condemnation was confirmed in appeal in June 2011). Before the ruling, Brice Hortefeux, Minister of Interior, dismissed the Prefect.

Mr. Paul Girod de Langlade is customary with racist remarks, the MRAP calls him “the recidivist”.

In 2002, when he was Prefect of Vaucluse, he explained, during a meeting with mayors and in front of journalists, that he had “no particular tenderness for these people. They scrounge on us, they live with robbery. These people drive luxury cars, they have enormous caravans and they do not work…”. He was the publicly denied by Nicolas Sarkozy (Minister of Interior at the time). After a complaint of the MRAP and SOS Racisme, he was accused of “public slander against a group of people because of their origin, membership or non-membership to an ethnic group, a nation or a race”. Condemned in first instance, but discharged in appeal, because of defect in procedure.

On 23 November 2006, during an interview for the regional newspaper “La nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest”, when he was Prefect of Indre-et-Loire lost his temper and said « We all know that when they (Travellers) arrive somewhere, there is delinquency”. The NGO MRAP (Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l’amitié des peuples – Movement against racism and for friendship between peoples) took legal action against him. He was given a fine in the amount of 2.000 euros for “incitement to racial hatred”. Following this ruling, the Ministers Council relieved him of his duties, he became Prefect “hors-cadre” (it means that he is still Prefect but without territorial assignment and without missions).

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