After 12 years, a French spy spoof movie series featuring a clueless, racist and sexist hero re-emerges in a nation where laughter has become more complicated.
Author: NORIMITSU ONISHI
Suspect in Fire at French Cathedral Is Arrested in Killing of a Priest
The arrest of the suspect, a Rwandan asylum-seeker facing deportation, fueled criticism of the government’s immigration laws by right-wing politicians.
The Mayor, the Teacher and a Fight Over a ‘Lost Territory’ of France
A battle erupted after a high-school teacher said that Islamists had taken over the city of Trappes, a view vigorously countered by the mayor, sharpening a national debate over French identity.
On the Scrappy Fringes of French Politics, Marine Le Pen Tries to Rebrand
Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader and main challenger to President Emmanuel Macron in next year’s election, wants to persuade voters that she and her party can govern France.
In France’s Delayed #MeToo, Powerful Men Fall, One After Another
Since the start of the year, well-known men from diverse fields have been accused of sexual abuse and placed under investigation.
France Has ‘Overwhelming’ Responsibility for Rwanda Genocide, Report Says
The report, commissioned by President Emmanuel Macron, found that France’s colonial mind-set had blinded it to the atrocity. The authors, though, cleared France of complicity.
Lucky Luke, the Comic Book Cowboy, Discovers Race, Belatedly
For the first time in the Franco-Belgian comic book classic, Black characters have full-fledged roles and are drawn without the racist depictions that marred the genre.
‘Woke’ American Ideas Are a Threat, French Leaders Say
Politicians and prominent intellectuals say social theories from the United States on race, gender and post-colonialism are a threat to French identity and the French republic.
Video Assault Thrusts Michel Zecler, and French Police, Into Spotlight
A music producer believes he’d be in jail unjustly if not for a video showing how officers assaulted him. Instead, the police are now in the eye of a political storm. And so is he.
Suspect Stalked French School Before Beheading Teacher, Officials Say
The suspect, a Russian immigrant, was angered by a classroom display of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad and sought help identifying the teacher involved.