France: An Italian name for a Sarkozy baby

Marine Le Pen, the head of the National Front, professes to be offended that Carla Bruni has called the child Giulia, saying it should have been called Julie, said Hela Khamarou at Le Nouvel Observateur.

Hela Khamarou

Le Nouvel Observateur

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Really? At least one out of every five people in this country—including Sarkozy himself, whose father is Hungarian—has roots abroad. Many of these French citizens might take offense at Le Pen’s offense. But perhaps we should look on the bright side: “I thought that what bothered Le Pen was Arabic-sounding first names,” like Mohammed or Fatima—but apparently she is motivated not by racism but by plain xenophobia. Or to be more charitable, perhaps Le Pen was concerned that the child would suffer discrimination. If that’s the case, she should relax. As the daughter of a model/singer and the president, Giulia’s bright “future is all mapped out.”