A Christmas market in Paris’s 18th arrondissement requiring that all of the merchants be black led to allegations of racism and segregation.
A Christmas market held over the weekend at the Hasard Ludique cultural space in the 18th arrondissement (district) of Paris was organised by the association Je Consomme Noir (I Consume Black), with a focus on products such as food, drink, books, and beauty products made by “African and Afro-descendant creators”.
French newspaper Le Figaro reported on the backlash against the event on social media, quoting some as stating the market was an example of “segregation” and launching accusations of racism. A volunteer of Je Consomme Noir, however, claimed the association did not want to debate politics.
“We don’t do politics. We want to convey a positive message, by doing things for our community,” the volunteer told the newspaper. She added that they had “expected to have this kind of criticism” and said that customers of all races were welcome at the market.
Commercial lawyer Michaël Amado stated that the market was not discriminatory despite all sellers being black, telling the French newspaper that “it would be discriminatory to prohibit consumers from coming to enjoy the products on the sole pretext that they would not be part of the organising community.”
Issues around immigration and segregation have become one of the main focuses of the upcoming French presidential campaign, with conservative writer Eric Zemmour holding his first official campaign rally over the weekend to an audience of at least 10,000 after formally announcing his candidacy last week.
Zemmour has spoken at length on the demographic shifts occurring in France as well as the theory of the “Great Replacement”, with a poll from late November finding half of French people believe in the demographic shift theory.
Demographics, specifically birth rates, is a subject also being discussed by other politicians across the political spectrum in the run-up to next year’s election, as well as other issues including Islamist separatism, a matter even being debated by the government of current French President Emmanuel Macron.
Among the French public, there is also a growing number of people concerned about anti-white racism, with a poll conducted in June of last year revealing that 47 per cent believe that anti-white racism exists and is an issue in the country.