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According to Their ABC, French presidential candidate Eric Zemmour (above) is — yes, you guessed it — a “far-right” rabble-rouser, that description appearing as if by rote in a report relating how “anti-racism protesters” stormed the stage and roughed up his supporters for holding opinions of which they disapprove. Such is the view through the ABC’s looking glass: thugs represent decency and free speech the threat.
We’ll no doubt hear more from the national broadcaster over the months to come of Zemmour and his campaign, so just for the record here he is in his own words — a message he broadcast to mark Christmas. It might be worth bookmarking when the ABC foreign correspondents, in their usual Pavlovian fashion, open the spigot on a slobber of cliches about “the French Trump”, “Islamophobia” “white supremacy”, “xenophobia” and perhaps, despite Zemmour being a Jew of North African origin, accusations of Nazi sympathies. — RF
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MY DEAR countrymen, my friends: Tonight, Christianity celebrates Christmas. But not only Christianity. For one need not be Christian to celebrate Christmas. It suffices to love the West in general, and France in particular.
The night of Christmas Eve begins the celebration of a civilization – ours – that has enlightened human history. A civilization that believes man is absolutely free, whatever his birth, his past, his environment, his path.
In the Christian world, liberty has a divine nature and must be protected as the most precious treasure.
A civilization that believes men are equal in dignity. Everyone, from the prostitute to the king, and all in between – the beggar, the rich man, the widow, the orphan, the soldier, the leper – are children of god and all are equal before him. No race, no class – a holy equality.
A civilization that believes the beautiful is also holy. The civilization of Rembrandt, da Vinci, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven. Paintings, sculptures, works of technical perfection and awesome depth.
The whole world admires Western art. It is impossible not to be overwhelmed by the Pietà of Michelangelo.
A civilization that believes truth is neither theoretical nor relative but concrete, incarnated, and holy. To deny truth is to deny the Good. The lie is both the day-to-day and the eternal face of evil.
This infinite respect for truth has allowed the enormous rise of philosophy and exact science in the west.
A civilization that believes heaven on earth doesn’t exist and never will. A civilization that refuses to give credence to utopias and projects for a perfect society-communism, Nazism-that destroyed the 20th century and threaten the 21st with a new and still more troubling face.
A civilization that opposes totalitarianism like day to night. A civilization that believes sweetness, tenderness, and love are superior to all other human conduct.
Knowing how to win in war is good and the Christian world must never refuse to make war when it is attacked. It must win the war, but knowing how to win the peace after victory is harder still.
To this idea, we owe the incomparably peaceful character of western societies when they are faithful to themselves.
Societies that have committed errors, mistakes, crimes: obviously, for it is built by men and all men are imperfect, egotistical, whether believers or not. But a civilization that must be considered the most evolved, sophisticated, creative, and tolerant the world has ever known.
France owes much to Catholicism, and the world owes much to French Catholicism. The long adventure of Catholicism in France is of an unequaled splendor. St. Irenaeus of Lyon, Clovis, St. Louis, Joan of Arc, Thomas Aquinas who taught at the Sorbonne, Bossuet, Fénelon, Blaise Pascal, Thérèse of Lisieux, Paul Claudel, and so many others. The eldest daughter of the Church has borne so many wonderful children, and our 86 cathedrals are the most beautiful of all – of which Victor Hugo made a beloved symbol across five continents.
General de Gaulle, in the greatest confidence, gave regular confession. His faith played a determinant role in the destiny of our country. Without the Cross, there would not have been a Cross of Lorraine.
And let us not forget the hundreds of millions of Christians – for it is hundreds of millions – being persecuted throughout the world as we speak.
Censored, threatened, tortured, assassinated: never in its long history has this religion been martyred in such dreadful silence. I solemnly swear that France will make their voice heard on the world stage.
Tonight, Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. But others – all others – in France can also celebrate Christmas. That is the purpose of Christmas trees, gifts, kisses, and wonderful smiles of children.
My name comes from ancient times, and means “olive tree” in Berber – the tree of peace. Tonight I wish that everyone will find peace – peace in each of us, and peace among us.
Christmas is the opposite of civil war. It is the reconciliation that shines in the night. The humble and moving Nativity, present in so many families, delivers its message through the centuries. The miracle returns every December 24 at midnight.
Dear countrymen, Merry Christmas. Long live the Republic, and above all, long live France.
Thanks to NewCatallaxy blogmaster Dover Beach for the translation
Such a shame that if an ABC commentator read this – perhaps accidentally – she wouldn’t understand what Zemmour was talking about.
Well, he doesn’t sound like a Nazi, but you can never be too careful. (sarc)
Seriously, if the left can label Ayaan Hirsi Ali an “Islamophobe” with a straight face, they are capable of anything. And why are the “progressives” standing up for a conservative, patriarchal religion anyway? Isn’t that a right wing failing?
Exactly,Doug. And that rabble at their ABC have never heard of Rembrandt, da Vinci, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven.
Zemmour writes as if our civilisation is totally based on Christianity: many of us are happy to live without a belief in supernatural beings.
Peace and goodwill to most of you, I say. Christians are O.K. – at least they don’t propose killing me just because I don’t believe in their god. Unlike some of the nastier religions, for which I have no respect at all.
And now the Christians seem to have stopped oppressing scientists like Giordano Bruno (who was burned at the stake) and Galileo Galilei (who got off with years under house arrest just because he was a boyhood friend of the Pope) for suggesting that the earth revolves around the sun.
Zemmour mentions Nazism: Hitler of course, was “a good Catholic”, and probably went to their heaven as he met the entrance qualifications by accepting their god as his saviour.
Most Christians haven’t read their own “good” book, which describes where to buy your slaves, and how you can beat them (as long as they don’t die within a couple of days) and how to conduct genocide, killing all men women and children, with the option of keeping the virgins for your amusement. Or drowning all the world’s creatures in a flood, except for Noah and his family, and a pair of every animal on earth. Just think of all those drowned bunny rabbits and nice cuddly koalas.
Their god is a pretty evil chap, who would torture anyone who doesn’t believe he exists or accept him as their saviour, by burning them in hell for all eternity. That’s pretty nasty, you must agree. Especially for anyone born in the middle of Mongolia, who’d never heard about him.
So if I had to choose a god from the thousands available, I’d pick one like Ganesh, the Hindu god with the elephant’s head. He’s a fun guy who loves music and parties. I’m pretty sure he’d be O.K. with Bach, Beethoven and Mozart.
The ABC is an Australian taxpayer funded Far Left branch of The Far Left Fourth Estate.
Hmm, a confusing and somewhat ungrounded conflation of theologies and philosophies. I guess that just shows that he knows his audience.
Interesting that some clearly haven’t read or understood a word. No wonder we are going to pot.
Zemmour sounds like someone we and our friends in the UK and USA (and France) could do with up front.
Christianity has been the religion of the West since the 4th Century. It has not been ‘a’ religion or the ‘dominant’ religion but ‘the’ religion. Removing it will create a fissure in our culture of literally biblical proportions. This is not about personal beliefs.
Thanks Roger. I find it an excellent Christmas message form Eric Zemmour, and I can easily identify with it. He’d certainly get my vote if I was a Frenchman, as would Donald Trump if I was an American.
One wonders of all the good things mentioned here about Christianity, why the candidate neglects to differ and say what else he may be able to provide or support.
When Covid first broke out in France I looked up the time elapse to send mail there.
It was delayed by a series of national rolling strikes.
Not just the yellow shirts.
Europe in general and France in particular are beset with an energy crisis and internecine energy warfare.
https://www.epge.fr/how-germany-is-trying-to-permanently-weaken-france-on-the-energy-issue/
Industry is leaving.
Royal Canin just moved production from France to South Korea.
It appears they regard the politics and energy costs of South Korea and the Korean Peninsula as more stable than France.
The French seem to have a big problem with maritime contracts, particularly of the $90 Billion type.
An appeal to a stable and productive past may foster a plan for a renewal and recovery from their energy crisis and health crisis.
The balance of trade looks dire
https://take-profit.org/en/statistics/balance-of-trade/france/
There is no significant trade with Australia, no doubt to be rectified by the submarine contract, since abrogated.
They seem to sell a lot of armaments.
Their energy is too dear.
Their leadership needs reform, if Macron is an example.
They can only improve their lot.
I can’t see any far right narrow minded views expressed in Eric Zemmours’ excellent patriotic Christmas message. He is obviously a man who is proud of his countries Catholic upbringing. And he certainly does not believe in nor promote the apartheid system which Mr Macron (is that a new variant flu ?) and Austrian loopies currently practice by separating people according to the strength of their natural immunity. Remembering the unvaccinated people have a much stronger immunity to any covid flu than does a fearful syrup sucking person.
Eric Zemmour believes in freedom not tyranny not intimidating coercion, just freedom and trusted traditional values of family, freedom and faith.