Sir, A Having travelled to Strasbourg to protest against the French National Front as part of the Irish delegation of the AntiNazi League, we were extremely disappointed at The Irish Times's coverage of the event.
There were over 50,000 anti fascist and anti racist demonstrators from France, Germany, Britain and Belgium, including students and trade unionists, railworkers, engineering workers, teachers and civil servants. Only a tiny minority of these were involved in violence. In the Palais des Congres there were around 3,000 Front National neo fascists. Yet the views given priority in the article were those of (a) the fascist FN and its friends and (b) the rioters.
The article provided no comment from organisations like Ras Front which are committed to opposing the menace of Le Pen in France today. Neither did it give the views of the large number of Strasbourg residents who turned out to welcome the march. The only comments concerned the violence which took place. Meanwhile the aspirations of Le Pen and his cohorts were cited in detail.
The idea that the demonstration played into the hands of Le Pen is nonsense. Since the victory at Vitrolles, French people are coming out in increasing numbers to show their revulsion at the FN's racism - 25,000 recently protested at Le Pen's arrival in Grenoble. The Strasbourg demonstration was the biggest challenge so far to the rise of the FN. with more protests like that Le Pen's dream of a Europe of nazis (Euronats for short) could have a very short life expectancy. - Yours, etc.,
Longford Terrace,
Monkstown,
Co Dublin.