LONDON — The mayor of Paris has called for a black feminist festival to be banned, alleging it was “prohibited to white people.”
Anne Hidalgo took to Twitter on Sunday to stress that she “firmly” condemned the event, adding that she had reported it to police.
The Nyansapo Festival, which is due to held in the French capital in July, describes itself as “Afro-feminist."
According to its website, 80 percent of the festival is a “non-mixed” space reserved only for black women. It said another area was “non-mixed” only for black people, while a third section was “open to all.”
French anti-racism organisations criticized the festival, saying it was “discriminatory.”
SOS Racisme said in a statement that the festival was “a mistake, if not an abomination, because it wallows in ethnic separation, while anti-racism is a movement which aims to go beyond race.”
The International League Against Racism and Antisemitism (LICRA) added: “Rosa Parks would be turning in her grave,” referring to the American civil rights activist. “The fight against racism has become an alibi for identity isolationism.”
The La Generale cultural center which was due to host the event posted a statement on its website saying it and the Mwasi Collective, which organized the festival, had been the “target of a disinformation campaign and of fake news orchestrated by the extreme right.”
Paris police chief Michel Delpuech said Sunday that he had not yet been advised about event. But he added the force would “ensure rigorous compliance with the laws, values and principles of the republic.”