Writing just after the murderous theocratic attack on Charlie Hebdo Frankie McKillen says:
This is what she was thinking last week just before and as events unfolded ... word for word... Typo's, accents etc included ... bear in mind she has lived most of life in France ... We were talking about TPQ, Gaza and other things just before the Charlie attack ...
Daughter: Your friend is Gaza too... [talking about TPQ]
Father He was an Irish republican. Gaza, I'm with them too. When we are face to face I'll explain ... It isn't anti jew ... It is anti Zionist, not the same. Do you understand the difference?
Daughter: Fuck dad?!?!?! How can you tell me something like that? By anti zionist are you telling anti only democratic country in the middle east?
Father: Its not anti sematic.... and thats what you have to grasp.
Daughter: I know you're not... But we just can't be against a country wich already exists and wich is fighting against fucking extremists (because hamas is nothing else but extremists who kills it's own population if they don't agree with them)
Father: I'm not talking about Hamas... I'm talking about the ordinary people in Gaza, not the same. The israeli gov are extremist too...
Daughter: What I means is that there is a huge difference betwen being against a all country and being against a the politic theyre doing... It's like you're saying i'm anti I don't know Venezuela or Brasil... It's meaning less to me
Father: Israeli politics is corrupt... its not a religios question... Its very much political...
Daughter: And people in Gaza wouldn't die by Israel fire if their armement wouldt be next to schools mosquee etc... I totally agree they suffering...
Father: Where would you plan to live if you leave La France?
Daughter: I don't know...
Father: Spain?
Daughter: Sometimes I'd love to go live in Brasil but it's a bit far... The thing is I don't trust europe...So I don't know, I'm seriously thinking about it. I'd love a country "en voie de developpement" ... Where there's thing to built.
Daughter: I'm angry.
Father:Because of todays shootings,
Daughter: About this Charlie Hebdo thing. Mum cried one hour
Father: Its called terrorism
Daughter: One hour.... I'm lying... Maybe less... Very less
Father: I grew up knowing terrorism...
Daughter: I'm on the way to go out. If you can wait for me... I clamb up in the bus, and wile i'm in it, I ansewer you.
Daughter: Went to drink a cofee with friends then to a Charlie vigil (means manifsstation??) but it was a mess. It made me a bit angry.
Father: Tell me about it and how your friends are thinking. Even in French, I can translate it. Why do you think it was a mess...
Daughter: Because it was organized by very young people, so it was much more like "we want every one to see us" than a meeting to react... And I received a dust bean right on my face..And my friend didn't thought about it only in an emotional way, they didn't thought about it deeply...
Father: What are the muslims doing in Aix/Fuveauv? Are they staying indoors or making jokes?
Daughter: And about Charlie Hebdo I thougt about many many things...I found this on twitter.
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| [the above are anti Jew remarks by the local taliban on a twitter account] |
Father:Tell me what you think about Charlie
Daughter: First of all, that I can't understand how the authorities havn't seen it, thir head was "dans le viseur" of all the terrorists organizations, and the brothers was known.
Daughter: Then, I think that the all country has to think about what we missed... Because all Youssouf Fofana, Mohamed Merah, the brothers Kouachi, this men who took hostages are french, they had the possillity to create a real terrorist organization in the homelands (and I heard there is a camp in Pyrenées every one knows it but it's already there) and because they was french, so what this country has done to deserve so many "haine" this is a real question I think really important to think about.
Daughter: And, I'm angry because all of muslims are saying that "terrorism is not islam" wich is right and I do know that and understand that... But, the biggest threat now are islams terrorists, so they HAVE to think about why, and how this can happen, they have their responsibility and they have to think about it. (I'm not saying by responsibility that it's their falt and they're all the same, this is important to understand, just that they have to maybe reform or at least send a big big message of peace)
Daughter: And I think this is a declaration of war
Father: Are there more or less police in Aix today?
Daughter: No
Father: Life is just the same?
Daughter: But on every busses there is messages telling we have to be carefull. And I had to go to the sncf and I saw militaries.
Daughter: (how do you say militaires?)
Father: The army..
Daughter: Yes the army, I think it has to be worst in St Charles train station in Marseille..
Father: has your darling mom said anything?
Daughter: Fuck them all, Loïs I din't want you in this country I want you to live, she's sad...And David [her boyfriend] wants to go the army, and all of these events are making his mind stronger..
Father: Tell David he is silly wanting to join the army.... Why fight someone elses war? A war he didn't make.......
Daughter: He thinks it's his... I can't do anything to change his mind... He's talking about it for four years, he's too determined.
Father: Do you or your darling mom think le pen will get elected?
Daughter: Yes, mum thinks she will... That is the only thing she's scared off. And all what happened these two days gave her many many many votes..Update in Dammartin where the brothers Kouachi, they gave the asseau
Father: asseau?...As in they are going to die for islam?
Daughter: The police is shooting..But they are locked in a usine. Assaut ( faute d'orthographe)
Father: What did you think about Charlie Hedbo and the cartoons.. right or wrong for printing them?
Daughter: Printing wich one?
Father: The original mohamed cartoon
Daughter: Aaah! I this it was right, of course!
Father: Are you still watching BMF or Telei [French rolling news channels]
Daughter: Why wouldn't had done it? No, I don't know who the fuck put TF1 [French version of thr BBC]... So (I'm ashamed) I'm watching it.
Father: Your darling mom maybe?
Daughter: Mum TF1? She shout against the news paper seiller in Fuveau because they didn't have Liberation et le Canard enchainé....[Liberation is a French left newspaper & le Canard enchainé is a political satire paper that cuts through the waffle]
Daughter: I don't feel afraid, mum neither. I feel angry, not the stupid racist anger, but angry because we had to wait for years before people heard we're going through a crisis with djihadists... Jews knew it for years... And angry because on this historycal meeting on decemner 11th there was a Saoudian man who at the same time on his country ( i'll speak french) il y a un homme condamné à 1000 coups de fouets pour avoir ouvert un forum sur l'islam...This is non sense...And about fear, I don't feel afraid, I just doing carefull...
Father: Can I print (re copy your views word for word for the blog)?
My Daughter: Yes...
Frankie,
ReplyDeletethanks to both you and your daughter for allowing us to run this
Interesting read. I see the empathy with Israel in contrasted with the sense of collective blame towards Muslim nations on some level. It is human nature and totally recognisable in all of us. It was a new angle to view ourselves from. Also a sense that Europe, perhaps like the USA has reached economic saturation point and the girls has the vision and intelligence to consider moving to a country with 'growth' and a future going on. Fair play.
ReplyDeleteInteresting piece and thanks for sharing. Sadly 70 years after the liberation of Auschwitz Europe is as anti semitic as ever. France is becoming too dangerous for Jews. Frankie-advise your daughter to think about moving to Israel or maybe America. Whatever she does, never allow her to move to Ireland. For all its wonderful attributes, it's a deeply anti semitic country.
ReplyDeleteRyan,
ReplyDeleteI don't believe Europe is as anti-Semitic as ever. I don't think the level of it today is as bad as it was in the 1930s. But it is there and society must be vigilant about it.
I doubt there is much merit to your comment that Ireland is a deeply anti-Semitic country. Again there is anti-Semitism but it is marginal and far from pervasive. What there is for sure is a lot of opposition to war crimes against the civilian population of Gaza much for the same reasons that people find the Holocaust abhorrent. But it would be wrong to characterise opposition to Israeli massacres of civilians as anti-Semitic. That in my view is best described as laudable.
Anthony thanks for carrying it. I've showed it to her this morning and she's trying to digest what yourself, Larry & Ryan said. I'll let her figure out what you said by herself...
ReplyDelete@Ryan I'm not sure Europe is any more or any less anti-Semitic than any time in history. Just before the turn of the 20century France was very anti Semitic but in Germany Jews were ok and free to live until Hitler came to power.
@Larry, I seriously doubt once she finishes her studies she'll stay in France.
I'm waiting for my daughter to get back to me. She knows most (a lot) of the people who read & post on TPQ are 'pro Gaza' and I've told her there are former Irish republican prisoners/volunteers who read the blog. She became a bit 'worried'. I explained to my daughter, her views are just as valid as anyone elses. Sometimes she thinks her opinions aren't taken on board. But she's learning to voice her mind..
Frankie, you are a lucky man, it costs me a fortune to have young French girls call me daddy.
ReplyDeleteIts terrifies me your ex-wife's main concern is Le Pen though. The ideology behind the rise of anti-Semitic or homophobic attacks is not espoused by Front National.
Ps Everytime I read your articles I imagine the Fonz's voice read them out. He was actually Jewish funnily enough.Anyway...
Personally think acceptance and integration of Jewish people in the country they live in would be better than forcing them to go to Israel and become part of that evil state.
ReplyDeleteAnthony,
ReplyDeleteThere has to be more to the Irish obsession with Israel/Palestine than just concern for human rights. Totally agree that certainly there is a difference between anti semitism and anti zionism. What is strange though is the curious lack of demonstrations/anger relating to Israel's adversaries or anything other than Israel. In a world of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, ISIS, Assad, North Korea, Sudan, Zimbabwe, China and Tibet, Russia and Ukraine, Egypt, Burma nothing brings out the rage like Israel. Not just in Ireland but in all of Europe. So why is that? If the Turks were still in charge would you see the same level of outrage directed towards them? It has to have something to do with Jews. I remember about 5 years ago when that mob of Eirigi supporters attacked 3 19 year old Israeli girls hawking beauty products in Castle Court that it had crossed the line from concern over Palestinians to an obsession with Israel and Jews. Otherwise why would they have been attacked? They were never in the army, never made government policy. They were assaulted because they were Israeli Jews.
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteThere has to be more to the Irish obsession with Israel/Palestine than just concern for human rights.
There is: it is affinity with Palestinians because of perceived shared experience that leads to a corresponding hostility to those brutalising Palestinians.
That affinity leads to protests against the malign power continuously repressing Palestinians and not the other tyrannies you refer to. It does not in the slightest imply any sympathy with those tyrants nor hatred of the Jews, but an intense hostility towards the people systematically slaughtering Gazan children.
If Israeli Christians rather than Israeli Jews were slaughtering Palestinians the response would be no different.
If the Turks were engaged in the long slow torturous grinding down of the Palestinian population I would very much expect to see an intense hostility towards them.
I vaguely recall the Castle Court incident you refer to although certainly not in the way you describe it. When I googled it I read that the protest was against the shop selling Israeli goods which eirigi wanted boycotted as part of a wider international sanctions campaign. There was no mention of any worker being
“attacked”. They were not assaulted because they were Israeli Jews: they were not it seems assaulted at all. The premises they were working in was targeted for leafleting and a lot of slogan shouting because it sold Israeli products. There is a difference.
Ryan
ReplyDeleteAs I'm sure you will aware, Irish society has a long history of anti-semitism based on its close ties with the Holy Roman Church. That anti-semitism has a history in Irish republicanism as well. Many who took part in the Easter Rising and Tan War were rabidly anti-semitic, most famously Patrick Belton and Eoin O'Duffy. De Valera himself had to publicly deny having Jewish blood. Would Irish republicans so vociforously support Gaza if the Israelis were catholic? Or if the Gazans were Jews or prods?
Peter
ReplyDeletea Gazza strip of prods along the Antrim coast with jets and choppers cutting the tar out of it has a certain appeal.
Larry
ReplyDeleteYou day dreaming again? That sectarian devil in you is rotting you from the inside out. Maybe you could go to a witch doctor and get it removed.
DaithiD
ReplyDeleteFrankie, you are a lucky man, it costs me a fortune to have young French girls call me daddy.
Everyone knows Ireland is too expensive
Its terrifies me your ex-wife's main concern is Le Pen though. The ideology behind the rise of anti-Semitic or homophobic attacks is not espoused by Front National.
I understand the rise of the FN isn't becasue the Jews in France are getting a better deal than the rest....(they aren't getting a better deal, they get the same crappy deal as the rest of the peasants like me)... Laurence (one of the moms) is very clued up and has been watching French politics longer than me.. I trust her judgement..
Let's put this to bed... I've never been married. I've three kids born in France to two women.. Gotta keep the gene pool as large as possible..
Ps Everytime I read your articles I imagine the Fonz's voice read them out. He was actually Jewish funnily enough.Anyway...
Heyyyyyyy
Peter,
ReplyDeleteRepublicans are not any more anti semitic than anyone else in Europe. Certainly not compared with loyalists and their links to Combat 18 and other neo nazi like groups. Also not compared to DUP fundamentalist types who pretend to like Israel only because they intend to convert them down the road before the end occurs whenever that date is on their calendar.
Let's not pretend that the Israeli flags that started going up around 2002 in loyalist areas was not intended to just annoy republicans rather than have any real sympathy with Israel.