France: An Italian name for a Sarkozy baby

Hela Khamarou

Le Nouvel Observateur

So what if the president of France has given his newborn daughter an Italian name? asked Hela Khamarou. Nicolas Sarkozy’s wife, Carla Bruni, was born in Italy and considers herself just as much Italian as French, so it’s hardly a shock that she opted to name her baby, born last week, Giulia. But Marine Le Pen, the head of the right-wing National Front, professes to be offended, saying the child should have been called Julie. “It’s my patriotic side, and I think a lot of the French think the same,” Le Pen said.

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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.”