EBLUL France calls for official recognition of France's regional languages

[Harold F. Schiffman]

EBLUL France calls for the official recognition of Frances regional
languages

Brussel - Bruxelles, Friday, 16 February 2007 by Davyth Hicks

EBLUL France and the Association des Rencontres des langues et cultures
rgionales ou minoritaires have launched an online petition calling on the
French presidential candidates for the official recognition of Frances
regional languages. The petition calls for "the right to education about
(and in) the regional language and culture, the right to day-long state
sponsored radio and TV channels and to create a climate of respect for
regional languages."

In order to achieve this the petitioners are calling for the French state
to conform to international law on the issue, to a modification of the
French constitution so as to give official recognition to its regional
languages, to ratify the European Charter for Regional of Minority
Languages, and to give the regional governments that have regional
languages the means to develop them.

The petition comes in the wake of comments in January from the far right
Front National MEP, Marine le Pen, who on France 5 Ripostes programme
described "bilingualism as a handicap to integration", and which Breton
activists have said has led to several bilingual signs in Brittany having
the Breton section of the sign defaced.  Such incidents highlight the fact
that none of France's regional language speakers have any means of legal
recourse in order to ensure the promotion and development for their
languages.


Meanwhile, on March 17th there will be a demonstration on behalf of
Occitan in Beziers. (Eurolang 2007)

Language rights petition http://www.desdroitspournoslangues.org/index.html

Occitan demonstration http://manifestar.online.fr/

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