A Right-Wing-Flavored French Banquet, Complete with Pork and Alcohol: A Message to Muslims?

Traditional French banquets have become a new battleground over identity and belonging. Across several cities, large communal meals celebrate local cuisine, wine and national songs, but they have also stirred debate over their links to the far right and the place of Muslims in France.

The Telegraph reported on the phenomenon through correspondent Henry Samuel's account of a banquet in Bourges, central France. About 1,800 people attended the event, singing the national anthem, “La Marseillaise,” and classic French songs while eating traditional dishes dominated by pork and wine.

Events of this kind are becoming more common in different parts of France. But they have also entered what Samuel describes as an increasingly prominent “culture war.” Left-wing critics argue that the gatherings are not simply attempts to revive the atmosphere of rural France.

In their view, food and national symbols can be used to exclude Muslims and indirectly advance the agenda of the far right ahead of the next presidential election. They point in part to the involvement of wealthy conservative investor Pierre-Edouard Stérin, who has funded projects connected with right-wing causes, including immigration restrictions and the defense of France's Christian heritage.

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