France should respond to the U.S.’s “contempt” for its allies by giving Edward Snowden asylum, the leftist French daily newspaper Libération declared on Thursday.
France would send “a clear and useful message to Washington, by granting this bold whistleblower the asylum to which he is entitled,” editor Laurent Joffrin wrote (translated from the French) in an angry editorial titled “Un seul geste” — or “A single gesture.”
The editorial came just two days after Libération co-published a trove of documents obtained by WikiLeaks that recounted how the National Security Agency spied for years on the last three French presidents. (President Barack Obama spoke to French President Francois Hollande Wednesday and told him that — as of late 2013 — “we are not targeting and will not target the communications of the French President.”)
“Contempt” is the only word to describe the U.S.’s behavior to its allies, Joffrin wrote.
France could even the count by offering asylum to the “single, courageous man, who has been chased without respite for three years: Edward Snowden, stalked and threatened with life in prison for having told the truth.”
The WikiLeaks documents showing NSA spying of French leaders have not been sourced to Snowden. But by turning over top-secrets documents to journalists in 2013, Snowden exposed a wide range of invasive U.S. and British surveillance around the globe, and this latest revelation created a new flashpoint for the already considerable outrage.
Libération was co-founded by existentialist French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre in 1973, and has remained a significant left-wing voice ever since.
If Paris offers Snowden asylum, it will be joining several other nations who have done so in the past, including Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela. However, Snowden is still waiting in Moscow to hear from almost two dozen other countries where he has requested asylum.
(This post is from our blog: Unofficial Sources.)
Photo: French President Francois Hollande on the phone. Stefan Rousseau/AFP/Getty Images
If I were Snowden or Julian Assange I wouldn’t trust this French government……simple because this attitude is just as a response to the damage made by its “partner” from the other side of the Atlantic and not something that is a just cause from the beginning. Period. Both will be more safe in their actual situation, at leas for the moment.
This will not happen… I am the second, hidden, part of Snowden’s story. I am Swiss and… refugee, because of French-German gang stalking scenario. William Bourdon, Snowden’s French lawyer is part of the problem. He sent me to the grave last autumn. More on my website (you will find it). #CitizenfourPart2 #SAPLeaks @CaroOlsen
Germany did not do it, and France will not do it either. They are US poodles. Don;’t forget France closed its air space to Bolivian president so that he would not supposedly smuggle Snowden out.
I agree. Some countries outside the five-eyes club feel orphaned. So it is an honor for them to be asked to snoop on their neighbors. It is naive of them not to think their neighbors are also similarly honored.
Hollande is a Ziostooge,expect no asylum from him,if he can help it.The Zionists hate exposure.
With respect gentlemen, the French daily newspaper Libération has a circulation of 101,000. That’s something of an indication of its overall influence in France. And consequently, this is no big deal. Had the comment come from a French politician…, well, it still would have been no big deal, unless perhaps it had come from the President himself. So stay connected to reality here. This is just a little comment from the editorial staff of a left-wing — no problem with that — newspaper and will perhaps sell a few more copies than otherwise for the paper . By tomorrow it will be old news, and the day after lost down the memory hole. When France grants Snowden asylum and citizenship and the Croix de Guerre then get back to me and we can all celebrate.
By the way, I read the “trove” link in the article. It shows some alleged NSA intelligence reports that refer to French Presidents but there is no “source” mentioned in these reports. Analysts compile info from more than just telephone intercepts. These reports mostly seem like gossip from ‘informants’.
The Russians will never let Snowy leave to tell other countries the full list of what he took.
Russia has no use for Snowden. They are also masters in the same spying business, and surely Snowden cannot contribute much to what they already know. Remember the “F&^% the EU” phone call of Victoria Nuland? Their spying is pretty good, especially if they were collaborating with the Chinese spies for the OPM heist.
Vlad Putin looks at Ed Snowden as an amusing guy who has caused a lot of embarrassment for us, and he is willing to protect Snowden despite our sabotage in Ukraine and Crimea.
It is extremely difficult to protect one’s self from the powerful reach of a powerful punishing state like the US, unless you have the luxury of hiding within the confines of another powerful, punishing, state! Getting to Edward in Russia is much more difficult than getting to him in France! Unless, of course, he is going to stay with the President of France perhaps. Think about it…where would he be safe besides where he is now? He is as wanted as Osama bin Laden was, for God’s sake, and probably has more insane enemies! We, the people, need to get him home as the hero of democracy and equal rights that he is! He should not face a trial, but should receive a ticker tape parade! In every city in the nation!!!!
If the French do this, then my opinion of them as wimps will change.
I am one of hundreds of thousands of Americans who want ALL charges against Snowden dropped.
I want all the scum in DC to stand trial on treason charges.
The U.S. has complete contempt for its own citizens and its own Constitution and Bill of Rights. Why should the rest of the world be treated any differently?
Agreed. Snowden is a hero.
I am an American who wants all charges against Snowden dropped.
America has made the leaders of friendly nations look like lickspittle toadies, craven, obsequious and foolish.
The photo says it it all.
It has not always been like that.
French government already opposed to US when President Chirac refused to engage French military troops in Irak war. No weapon of mass destruction found, one more lie of NSA/CIA.
Even the British toadies refused to invade Vietnam. There are extremely rare anomalies.
I bet the British media at the time was against it,as it had no bearing on Zion,and it was logically refused.Unlike today’s full court press of Zion uber alles.
Sorry?! Seriously???
There were not much French journalists or political representatives who demanded asylum for ES (except Human rights associations) at the time he was struggeling stranded in Moscow Airport for more than a month in 2013, even the secretary general of UN Ban Ky Moon stated what ES have done was [ES quote]”a disservice, it is misuse…therefore he is bypassing the process of UNHCR”, whereas we all knew he was revealing an unprecedented large scale assault in our privacy by US government at the risk of his life.
Again, what about the French Bill of Surveillance voted within 3 months time? Except alternative web info blogs like Quadrature du Net, human right ligue or lawyers associations, there was no debate in French daily news nor so called French journalists very much talkative about it! Then, MPs of National Assembly and Senators have adopted the Surveillance Bill yesterday which allow mass surveillance by the French government. Regarding abuses on data by the intelligence services and whistle blowers status, the Representatives have recommended a specific process described on article 855-3 on previous Bill draft (June 16) but the government presented an emendation to this text at the very last moment yesterday and it has been suppressed. As well, no real guarantee for protection of journalists, lawyers’…correspondances and sources on articles 821-6 and 821-7…
http://www.laquadrature.net/en/french-surveillance-bill-lqdn-files-an-amicus-brief-to-the-constitutional-court
OMG.
What a luscious desert to make the United States sorry for being an asshole spy machine their own allies, if they offered legal asylum to Snowden.
I want to see it happen.
My dog dreams that one day I’ll let him drive the car. I’ve told him yes, when France grants asylum to Snowden. He hasn’t forgiven me yet.
Duce, you always did govern by official fiat.
Excellent, Duce. Anyhow, I believe Edward is a bright kid and knows better than accepting an offer from any french government. Even french citizens are looking for better alternatives to becoming slaves of US interests.
Make that Snowden and Assange. Why not make it a twofer?
Two different animals. Snowden I believe was genuinely trying to make the world better for everyone. Assange was self-serving and trying to make the world worse for the oligarchy.
“Assange was self-serving and trying to make the world worse for the oligarchy.” – Keith
Even if the motive (of which there’s no evidence given) for Assange’s actions is only to make the world ‘worse’ for the oligarchy by exposing many of the same and/or similar crimes and abuses against the vast majority of humanity (as Snowden also revealed) the net effect has been making the world better for everyone else – be the messenger self-serving (or not).
“There are ultimately only two possible adjustments to life; one is to suit our lives to principles; the other is to suit principles to our lives. If we do not live as we think, we soon begin to think as we live. The method of adjusting moral principles to the way men live is just a perversion of the order of things.” – Fulton J. Sheen
Keith’s non-logic escapes me, plus whatever one says about Assange, his motives have been pure, and WikiLeaks continues to deliver big times as the only national and global real investigative journalism out there.
http://www.nnn.se/nordic/assange/suspicious.pdf
(And please understand that the Swedish equivalent of Rupert Murdoch, the Bonnier family, is financially connected to everyone in Sweden involved in the attempted extradition of Assange.)
Clever, but wrong.
Snowden was genuinely trying to make the world better for everyone but his country’s torture subjects.
Assange is trying to make the world worse for the oligarchy, which is better for everyone.
Snowden didn’t think the state shouldn’t have any secrets, just that their should be transparency and stopping mass dragnet surveillance on everyone. Assange is a sociopath who didn’t think the U.S. government should keep any secrets period. Yeah, some good may have come from wikileaks, but I believe the Manning & diplomatic cables documents dumps were a bit reckless.
Snowden was a bit of a rube. He had to be if he thought joining the military to slam Iraq against the wall for no reason was a patriotic thing to do. Then he sought employment in the Stasi. Assange has no such baggage.
Psychopathic American voters and pols have been far more reckless than Assange. For this reason, they/you deserve no benefit of the doubt and your criticism of Assange is weightless.
It is widely accepted without any critical thought that the state is entitled to and justified in keeping all manner of Secrets. I’m not going to claim necessarily that this is not the case, that this is wrong, but I would like to see someone someday stand up and question the unquestioned assumption here. That is to say ”Why”? Why does the state keep secrets? Why must the state keep secrets? Are secrets actually necessary? What would happen if the state had no capacity for keeping secrets? Would it be such a horrible thing if the nuclear launch codes were known to everyone? If every single secret about every single weapon system were known to everyone, would that be so horrifyingly bad? If we knew all of Russia’s secret military facts would that be would that be so bad? If they knew all of ours and we knew all of theirs would that be so bad? Would it perhaps lead to what 99 percent of the people want anyway, which is that there should be no weapons anywhere? Do we really need to have armed men and vast quantities of death machines spread out across the face of the planet ready to obliterate and destroy and kill vast numbers of people because this is the way humanity has behaved says the first caveman and picked up a rock and smashed another caveman over the head with it so they could take his woman and his food? Now maybe, just maybe, I’m off base on this, but is it too much to ask that people engage in a discussion to determine whether all this secrecy stuff is actually necessary, or whether it is perhaps just the enabling practice of state power, and abusive state power at that.
As Captain Rénault might say, “Unoccupied France welcomes you.”
Yeah, but for there to be an Unoccupied France, a purge of Vichy collaborators must occur.
He meant french overseas territories, i.e. Morocco.
Exactly. Vichy scumbags. I’m sure Snowboy, unlike most other people, won’t have forgotten that the French blocked the flight of Maduro’s plane, which was then forced to land in Austria? because it was said he was on board. They’re surely not to be trusted.
Exactly. Vichy scumbags. I’m sure Snowboy, unlike most other people, won’t have forgotten that the French blocked the flight of Maduro’s plane, which was then forced to land in Austria? because it was said he was on board. They’re surely not to be trusted.
Morales’ plane
France could make Snowdon a citizen “pour avoir rendu de plus grands services a la France”
That would make him non extraditable like Polanski. Snowden would be very well advised never to set foot outside France – – there’s far worse fates.
Sadly this wont happen. The French are all already blackmailed and corrupted throughout. What a nice instrument total surveillance is!
Americans deserve the same amount of contempt they have shown the rest of the world, short of butchering several million of them for fun and profit, as is their habit; mimicking Americans’ casual killing & torture habit would be way over the top.
You are correct as far as it goes; however, let’s distinguish the rogue, criminal US government from the American people, the vast majority of whom (despite massive propaganda) are seeking global social and environmental justice. The 1% gangsters may be small in number but they have all the hardware and through reward and punishment (re: whistleblowers) they keep the tier beneath them (the yes men and women) in line doing their bidding.
We will see what the future brings. Evil does sow the seeds of its own destruction.
With some respect, the point is precisely not to distinguish between the rogue, criminal US government from the American people who vote for them over and over and … again in 2016. Rouge voters should not be distinguished from criminals they favor. They are not innocent.
They vote for them over and over because “them” control who runs.
Your hypothesis needs to be tested.
Here’s how: Skip the next national election cycle, create your own parties and platforms, and find your own candidates to run in 2020. If you don’t know anyone with a clue go find a taxi driver who does.
If “they” interfere with and/or prohibit this activity, then your theory is correct — you do not live in a democracy. It is not that complicated. The complicated part comes later. For one, your political vocabulary will have to change to fit your newly aligned perceptions of reality, and it gets even more complicated after that.
Stan is most certainly correct! At this point in time, virtually any American who supports the neocon criminal Jeb Bush, or the neocon criminal Hillary Clinton, deserves to be put in front of a firing squad.
At some point, they have to assume responsibility for supporting and voting for these scum!
Just as a select group of Americans should be held responsible for financed coups in Honduras, Guatemala, Iran, Indonesia, and many other countries, then supporting the former mass murderers with positions at so-called think tanks like Cato, Heritage, Brookings, etc., etc.
The Gates Foundation has a gallery of vile ones on its global development program board, e.g., Ernesto Zedillo, former president of Mexico in the 1990s, who responded to a Chase Bank memo to “eliminate the Zapatistas” by sending in the army to do just that. And Zedillo, whom the Mexican government attempted to extradite from America several years back but was denied, heads up the Globalization Program at Yale University!
There is much rotten in America.
Totally agree. Lack of political savvy is no excuse. There exists a tiny minority of decent American citizens who don’t vote red or blue, mostly to be found on this forum. As to the rest, we owe them Bush and Obama.
At this point in time, virtually any American who supports the neocon criminal Jeb Bush, or the neocon criminal Hillary Clinton, deserves to be put in front of a firing squad.
No.
One more time: Americans deserve the same amount of contempt they have shown the rest of the world, short of butchering several million of them for fun and profit, as is their habit; mimicking Americans’ casual killing & torture habit would be way over the top.
Too bad our traitor MSM won’t reveal all the abject failures of said candidates.That’s the rotten heart of America.
As delicious as it would be to have the French, incorrectly perceived by many Americans as a weak and cowardly people, publicly kick the US right in the principles, it might ring a bit hollow in light of France’s recent anti-free-speech legislation. I’d still like to see it happen, though.
Yes, and their surveillance is pervasive, it seems. What irks Elysée Palace is the idea that outsiders would be spying, in their country, upon their government. A security state’s whole purpose is exclusion of others’ spies and conspiracies.
The tirades of my country must be brought down from within and without we need your help people of France do the right thing and we would love you for it!
Les tirades de mon pays doivent être ramenés à l’intérieur et sans nous besoin de votre aide peuple de France faire la bonne chose et nous vous aimera pour cela!
Tout de suite!
If I may, les excès de mon pays doivent être combattus de l’intérieur comme de l’extérieur. Peuple de France, nous avons besoin de votre aide et vous en serions reconnaissants! Not that many frenchies read these pages anyway but you ask for help and shall get it, first and foremost in getting your message across as intended. :)