IMMIGRATION ISSUE IN FRANCE CONTINUES TO CAUSE PROBLEMS
TOULON, France (Reuter) - A controversial book fair opened in thesouthern French port of Toulon Friday, but most exhibitors boycotted itover criticism of Jewish writer Marek Halter by the city's far-right mayor.
Writers and publishers -- including Halter -- instead flocked to a protestfair in nearby La Garde. Putting aside political differences, Culture MinisterPhilippe Douste-Blazy and his two predecessors, Jack Lang and Francois Leotard,joined them to pay tribute to the Polish-born novelist.
Mayor Jean-Marie Le Chevallier of the anti-immigrant National Front partyhad called a proposed tribute to Halter "inopportune" becausethe Polish-born survivor of the World War II Warsaw ghetto supported immigrationinto France.
Douste-Blazy accused the National Front of "carrying out a general,carefully planned offensive against culture."
"The National Front smears you because you are resisting its dictatorshipon thought," he told Halter.
He said mayor Le Chevallier had demanded that the Toulon fair exhibit far-rightpublications.
Le Chevallier said at a ceremony officially opening the Toulon book fairthat Halter was free to come and was "a consummate liar" for havingsaid he was not welcome.
He added however -- using a French word which means both "ghostwriter"and "nigger" -- "I would have preferred Brigitte Bardot.She writes her books herself while Halter, it seems, has ghostwriters."
Bardot, the former film star turned animal rights defender, recently cameunder fire for an attack on Arab immigrants and for praising Jean-MarieLe Pen, leader of the National Front.
Le Chevallier came under attack at a council meeting ahead of the Toulonopening ceremony.
"Your incompetence, your sectarianism, your intolerance are all reflectedin the book fair's failure," centrist city council member Henri Couillottold him.
Halter, who is best known for his book "Abraham's Memoirs" recountingthe wandering of a Jewish family over the centuries, said last month LeChevallier's remarks were the first time since he arrived in France, aged14, that he had experienced racism.
The Mediterranean port of Toulon was one of three French towns won by theFront in 1995 municipal elections. The others were Orange and Marignanein the same southern region.
The National Front is fiercely anti-immigrant, advocating the forcible returnhome of millions of even legal immigrants, but denies being anti-semitic.Ite leader Jean-Marie Le Pen won 15 percent of the vote in last year's presidentialelection.
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