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del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 07:46 06/10/2007 Africans in France say bill calling for DNA tests for immigrants is racist By Reuters French plans for DNA tests on would-be immigrants have done little to endear President Nicolas Sarkozy to Africans, many of whom see it as evidence of deep-seated racism in their former colonial power. The draft law, part of Sarkozy's promised crackdown on illegal immigration, would allow foreigners living in France to use a voluntary DNA test to prove blood lines to relatives they want to bring into the country. Advertisement The bill, a watered-down version of which was passed by the upper house of parliament on Thursday, has sparked fierce debate in France and outraged public opinion in West Africa, from where a large proportion of immigrants to France originate. Critics say the test is based on a very narrow concept of the family, particularly in Africa, where a typical family unit often includes distant cousins, uncles and aunts. They also argue that the same rules are not applied to French citizens. "This law is part of the right's tendency to over-legislate, particularly under this new president, who for several years has made stigmatizing immigrants one of the main pillars of his policy," said Geraud Ahouandjinou, an immigrant from Benin who lives in a Paris suburb. "It's not DNA which defines the family in France, so why should this strictly genetic measure be applied to people whose culture has a very broad concept of the family," he said. When Sarkozy won power in May, African leaders rushed to congratulate him, particularly after his pledges to modernise often opaque relations with former colonies. Ordinary Africans were more sceptical, mindful of his tenure as interior minister when he organised repatriation flights for illegal migrants, dubbed "Sarkozy charters". Climate of Suspicion The main purpose of the legislation is to fight fraud in family reunion cases. The government says it could also speed up applications in genuine cases by cutting out background checks which can otherwise take years. But, still seething over a July speech by Sarkozy in Senegal laced with allusions to colonialism and the suggestion Africa had failed to embrace progress, many Africans are sceptical. "The toughening of immigration laws fosters an utterly noxious climate of suspicion ...which combines to make Africans feel increasingly undesirable in France and Europe," said Alioune Tine, head of Dakar-based African rights group RADDHO. The proposed law has also provoked criticism in France. Fearing a rebellion in the Senate, the government watered down the bill by making clear the state would pick up the cost of the tests, not the families, and that the focus would be on the mother rather than the father to avoid paternity disputes. The bill will return to the lower house for approval later this month and is likely to pass into law, further straining relations with France's former colonies when it does. "The practice of DNA testing is a violation of individual freedom, an attack on person's physical integrity and not even certain to be free from error," Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade told a news conference this week. "It would be better simply to ask someone not to enter your national territory than to submit them to a process that threatens that freedom." Bookmark to del.icio.us Clalit's 'star' doctors Clalit is in talks with the treasury over approval of its 'Star Program' for hospitals. I have a sukkah My husband's sukkah was developed with the help of design software from NASA.   1.   Sarkozy and the DNA... 19:06  |  Esther 05/10/07   2.   The doors are getting narrow 19:13  |  Salambarad 05/10/07   3.   Esther, 19:25  |  Blabass 05/10/07   4.   Good for him 19:51  |  Lynn 05/10/07   5.   God Bless Sarkozy 19:54  |  wayne 05/10/07   6.   Good for Sarkozy!! 19:56  |  Evan 05/10/07   7.   Sarkozy is #1 20:01  |  Danite 05/10/07   8.   HAARETZ 20:03  |  Blabass 05/10/07   9.   Ester#1 - are you sure YOU sought professional guidance? 20:35  |  William 05/10/07   10.   Are European immigrants to African countries desirable to African 20:44  |  Genuine Tosefta 05/10/07   11.   Just a Point, FYI only Haarez 20:52  |  Blabass 05/10/07   12.   Immigration 20:53  |  Peter 05/10/07   13.   burning cars and riots 21:24  |  Geoff 05/10/07   14.   Haaretz, 21:28  |  Blabass 05/10/07   15.   They do it for all, not africans so not racist.Dont like it,go! 22:02  |  Doron Katz 05/10/07   16.   The last quote is right on 22:37  |  Barry 05/10/07   17.   Apartheid! Apartheid! Racism! Boycott French Academics! 23:26  |  CHGODMK 05/10/07   18.   African definition of relatives different from other cultures 00:37  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 06/10/07   19.   Fascism making a come back ? 03:02  |  Dani 06/10/07   20.   Family regrouping 03:14  |  Philippe 06/10/07   21.   Genuine Tosefta # 10 03:35  |  Philippe 06/10/07   22.   Right to preserve the charictor of the state 04:10  |  Romi 06/10/07   23.   immigration to France 06:22  |  peacenik 06/10/07   24.   peacenik # 23 07:56  |  Philippe 06/10/07   25.   To all the above... 00:26  |  Hamite 07/10/07   26.   Salambarad your ideas are stupid 20:43  |  Jean-Paul DOGUET 07/10/07

Today Online Palestinian militants in Gaza fire Katyusha at southern Israel Responses: 135 Rosner: Was Archbishop Tutu comparing Israel and Hitler? Responses: 139 Gideon Levy: IDF's scandalous killing of children Responses: 316 Syria paper urges return of Golan 'by any means' Responses: 176 Palestinian Christian activist stabbed to death in Gaza Responses: 130 Rosner's Domain * WTR: Israeli deterrence can not last forever * Was Desmond Tutu comparing Israel and Hitler? * What will be the most difficult Israeli/Palestinian issue to overcome * Matt Brooks: Clear difference between Republicans and Democrats on challenges related to Israel More Headlines 03:40 IDF: Steep rise in arms smuggling into Gaza Strip 03:29 MI: Syria likely to respond to IAF strike using ally like Hezbollah 01:14 Washington Post: Several N. Korean scientists hurt in IAF strike in Syria 19:16 Livni: Israel shouldn't rush into concessions for sake of summit 04:34 Int'l Holocaust survivor meeting to be held on state anniversary 19:20 Bronfman offering unique prize for 'next great Jewish idea' 02:47 Social Affairs Min.: 2/3 of Ethiopians in Israel need help of social services 23:30 Mofaz orders disciplinary hearings into Ben-Gurion near-collision 22:08 Serbian police stop 26 neo-Nazis marching despite ban Previous Editions Select Day 07 oct 05 oct 04 oct 03 oct 02 oct 01 oct 30 sep 28 sep 27 sep 26 sep 25 sep 24 sep

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