Cheese, Baguettes, and Victor Hugo

France’s right wing claims “Islamo-leftism” is subverting their national culture. But “Frenchness” has always been in flux.

Illustration by Monste Galbany

“No one, least of all me, is proposing to get rid of Victor Hugo, of our cheeses or baguettes, and replace them with something else.” This was how Jean-Luc Mélenchon, ahead of his 2022 presidential bid, rebutted the claim that an “Islamo-leftist” plot sought to destroy France’s traditional way of life. But unlike other wild […]

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