Frêche Out of Socialists

Georges Frêche, President of the Languedoc-Roussillon region and former Mayor of Montpellier has been expelled by the French Socialist Party, because of comments he made late last year complaining about the number of black players in the French football team, similar to 'reservations' expressed by one Jean-Marie Le Pen during last year's World Cup finals. Strange that the expulsion should happen now, considering that Frêche was this week convicted of racism, having called a group of Harkis (i.e. Algerian Arabs that fought on the French side during the Algerian war) 'sub-human'. Frêche, himself complains that the expulsion was timed to coincide with Ségolène Royal's trip to the French Caribbean, where votes in this year's Presidential elections are to be won in Martinique, Guadaloupe and French Guyana. Frêche claims to be a 'good friend' of Royal, who, like him was elected a regional President in 2004 (in her case, of Poitou-Charentes), and he is a bit miffed at being hung out to dry now. Frêche also claims that he has been misinterpreted, just as he was in the Harki case. Should have kept your mouth shut then, Georges.