The NBA's French Revolution

Welcome to our Saturday roundup of French news. Now, of course, the dominant story this week is the first round of snap parliamentary elections that are taking place on Sunday. France 24 is currently observing a period of electoral silence though, meaning that we cannot discuss polls or politics. We can say that the results will be crucial, potentially leading to a power sharing government now given the high stakes turn out is being closely watched. The two rounds of voting come at the start of the summer holiday, a time when many people will be out of town. As a result, there has been a surge in requests to vote by proxy. Caitlin Kelly has more at this police station in Clamagh. Tents now accommodate the record numbers opting for proxy votes in France. Local government workers help people fill out forms that will allow someone else to cast their ballot on Sunday. We need the date of birth of your proxy, full name and electoral number. Official figures suggest that more than two million people have already registered for proxy voting in France just days before the first round of the election. That's over five times the number of registrations than the last election. I finished work at 7:00, so I don't have time to leave Paris and get here to vote. So I gave my wife proxy voting rights to take my place. I've given my proxy to my dad because I know we have the same political beliefs. And it was really simple. I just came and signed a form. Analysts say that the elections contentious nature paired with upcoming summer holidays means people have made efforts to cast their vote. Well, The historic vote comes as France is seeing a surge in racism and anti-Semitism. That's according to the latest annual report published this Thursday by France's Human Rights Commission. It found that anti-Semitic acts soared over 284% while racist acts increased by 32%. A rise in intolerance fueled by France's current political context and the war in Gaza. Emerald Maxwell has this people rally earlier this month in response to the gang rape of a 12 year old Jewish girl in the Paris suburb of Cor Beauvoir. The perpetrators, 312 and 13 year old boys, hold anti-Semitic abuse at the girl while filming it. The case came amid a rise in recorded racist and anti-Semitic incidents since 2019, detailed in an annual report by Frances Human Rights Commission. In particular, anti-Semitic incidents surged last year by 284%, fuelled by the war in Gaza and its instrumentalisation by French politicians. In terms of anti-Semitic acts, there was a fourfold increase in 2023 compared to 20/22, and most of it happened after the 7th of October in the last three months of the year, and that's an unprecedented increase. 51% of French people polled for the report said they don't feel at home in France anymore. That's compared to 43% just two years ago. And the feeling rises to 91% among National Rally. The report authors link this rise to rejection of immigration, which more than 40% of French people think is linked to insecurity. The report says the feeling has been mostly driven by the rise of the far right and a normalisation of their ideas and rhetoric in the public sphere. Every time the political elites stigmatise foreigners, immigrants, others, or in the 30s and 40s when Jews were stigmatised, the responsibility is immense. That's what moves people's opinions. The report shows a link between political discourse and the level of tolerance in France, which has fallen for two years running, although over the long term the French are gradually becoming more tolerant. Well, this week marked one year since the death of 17 year old Niall Merzuk, shot by police during a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. The officer who shot him was charged with voluntary homicide but was released from detention in November as the investigation continues. At the time, it was one of over a dozen recent police killings involving young people of North African descent, and it sparked several days of riots in the suburbs across France. This Saturday, a silent March is taking place in Nanterre to commemorate Nile's death. Well, this week's Sports News. France has secured its slot in the next round of the EUR. They next take the field this Monday against neighbors Belgium. Now they made it through despite an uninspiring performance in the group stage, even with the return of a masked Killian Mbappe recovering after his nose fracture. Les Bleu tied their third game against Poland 11. Here's what French fans had to say. Poland played well in the end and the draw was well deserved. It's a shame France. Fortunately the Netherlands lost in our group so we're happy. There were a lot of chances, especially for France, and would have liked to have seen them win, but they couldn't manage. It was so interesting. The main thing we feel is frustration because we have a great team and we could do so much better and yet we can see that on the pitch. The players aren't necessarily able to find one another yet and they're attacking is still a little weak. While football remains France's biggest national sport, there's been a bit of a French Revolution in American basketball. A year after Victor Wenbenyama became the first French player to top the NBA draft, two more French players took the number one and two spots this year. Solange Mujan has the details from New York. It was a slam dunk of a night for French basketball. With the 1st pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks select Zachary Risashe from Lyon, France. For the 19 year old forward. The honour of being the first draft pick was a personal success, but not only I'm really proud of being a part of succeed, kind of succeed of my country. Risashay was not the only towering French powerhouse of the draft. 4 French players were selected and three of them in the top ten. It's a historic first for France as it becomes the only nation outside the US of having so many top draft picks. The French player Alex SAR was also in the running for the number one choice. The seven footer, 2.13 meters tall center was in the end the second pick. What were your immediate emotions when you found out? Oh, you know, I was really happy for him. I kind of already had a feeling, but I was happy for him, you know? And yeah, he was, he was nice. Oh, and for me, I was really happy for me too. Swishing their way into history, the French players were joined by Tijen Settle, chosen 6 by Charlotte. He said so many top French players in the NBA is a sign of the times. I think the basketball in in France, he's improved and that's why we are here and on this draft. And three, three French player in top ten. It's not nothing. Inspired by last year's number one draft pick, the Frenchman Victor Wembayama, and before him Tony Parker, a whole generation of French basketball players are now ready to swish and alley oop their way to three pointers and with no need for travelling. It's just in time for the Olympics Next. It's going to be a key transportation artery during the upcoming Olympic Games. This week the extension of the Metro Line 14 had its grand opening with seven new stations South of Paris. It took some eight years of work and 3 1/2 billion EUR the line and now extends all the way from Orly Airport in the South to the Olympic Athletes village, Stade de France and Aquatic Center in the north, when another sign of the approaching Games, the symbol of the Paralympics, has been added to the Arc de Triomphe. The three asymmetrical red, blue and green croissants are called the Agitos, Latin for I am in Motion, a reference to the Paralympic Games motto Spirit in Motion. Like the Olympic torches and the rings on the Eiffel Tower, they were made by steel company Arcelor Mittal. Each Agitos weighs 1 1/2 tons. This year's games will feature several new sports, including break dancing, a change that organisers are hoping will draw more younger fans. Yinko Iatade has more flares, dizzying head spins and windmills. It's all began on the streets of New York City. Breakdance was born in the Bronx in the 1970s. As turf wars wreak havoc, the dance style which accompanied the rise of hip hop emerged as a way for teenagers to let off steam. The director of a new documentary tracing the history of the sport is delighted that it's making its debut in the Paris Olympics. I think it just gives people appreciation for understanding that like, this is an athletic competition, like this is something that takes training, it takes heart, it takes guts. And like, to spin on your head, you got to be strong. So I think it puts it in a different context. And hopefully, like, you know, luckily it's going to be in Paris and hopefully the world will continue to celebrate this art form. It's at Paris's Place de la Concorde where dancers will show off their best move to beats provided by DJs and MCS, just like the street battles in New York. Breakdance is one of the four recent additions to the Olympics aimed at appealing to younger fans. Surfing, skateboarding and climbing are also part of that campaign. They were already introduced during the Tokyo Games in 2020 and we end this edition in Versailles, where every June for the past 28 years Moliere has taken over the city. The month long festival, named after France's foremost playwright, has become a cultural rendezvous for all things theatre. France 24's Juliette Ficar takes us on a visit, a musical evening in the heart of Versailles. These actors are performing The Bourgeois Gentleman and Moliere classic brought back to the stage thanks to this festival. I like The Bourgeois Gentleman because of how musical, theatrical and comic it is. And when I say theatrical, I mean it in the exaggerated sense of the word. You can never be too much when you're playing Moliere's characters because Moliere was all about exaggeration. The Moliere Month aims to make theatre more accessible, offering over 300 performances for free or for just a few euros. For two EUR you can go and see plays you aren't sure you'll like. The €2.00 ticket really made it possible for me to come here because I don't have much money to spend on concerts and cultural outing. Such low prices are a blessing for us and for the audience. It means that everyone can afford to join because for many people a ticket at €50 is just not possible. So for that reason, the Money Out month is really extraordinary. Performances will wrap up this week as the festival ends. The Money Classics will come back to the stage at Avenues Off Festival where they will feature for the first time. That brings us to the end of a week in France, but thanks for watching and stay with us if you can. The news is coming right up.