The Return of Racial Discourse

France’s elites deny anti-White racism amid rising racial tensions

Alexander Raynor, in his summary of the Éléments discussion panel on the racial question, explores how mass immigration and far-left ideologies have re-racialized French society, marginalizing Whites while anti-White racism remains taboo.

Since races officially no longer exist (according to some), they are rarely seriously discussed in mainstream political discourse unless, of course, it is to blame White Europeans for all of society’s problems. In an increasingly atomised society, the identitarian community, even clan, focuses more and more on the most visible of common denominators: skin color. Violence and hatred, alas, too. In the face of this phenomenon, ‘anti-racism’ has become a true state religion. But it is not a universal religion because it excludes by ideological principle a category of victims that is increasingly important: the Whites. The team from the magazine Éléments, gathered around Patrick Lusinchi for a new issue of ‘Cette année la’ (‘That Year’) on TV Libertés, focuses on this denial of reality.

The video starts by referencing an essay written by Guillaume Faye in Éléments no. 34 (1980) titled ‘Pour en finir avec la civilisation occidentale’. (‘Finishing with Western Civilisation’), particularly a specific portion of the essay, ‘Il n’y a pas de “monde blanc”’ (‘There Is No “White World”’), which you can read below:

There Is No ‘White World’

All dominant ideologies oppose, in their discourse, the Third World and the West. Whatever criteria are taken into account, these definitions all function according to the same principle of exclusion. Christianity was the first to thus oppose infidels and believers, perpetuating across centuries the Manichaean vision of the world. In the eighteenth century, the noble savage may well have known a paradisiacal existence; he nonetheless remains a “savage”, to which philosophers this time oppose the civilised. Inverting this proposition, rationalism in its turn distinguishes civilised Western peoples from uncivilised peoples.

In their analysis of economic growth, liberal theories have themselves merely opposed the developed West to the developing Third World. Be they right or left, progressive or reactionary, Western ideologies remain in submission to this Manichaean logic. Occidentalism negates the identity of the Other, which it perceives in the end as non-Christian, uncivilised or undeveloped…without imagining for a second that this Other might simply be itself. This repudiation of difference marks an essentially racist course.

Implicitly, it is always the White world that opposes itself to the world of colour. The very notion of the West is in fact the product of an ideology, and contains no geopolitical, cultural, or even economic reality (how to classify Argentina — a White developing country? — or Japan — a hyper-developed country of colour?). These words are not neutral. The concept of the West ensnares who uses it. To speak of the West is, in the end, to recognise its existence and to admit the logic it carries. It is to adopt implicitly the ideology of which it is the product.

— Guilluame Faye, “Finishing with Western Civilisation” (1980)

To provide some context to this passage by Guillaume Faye, one must understand how the Nouvelle Droite (French New Right) viewed the concept of ‘the West’. The Nouvelle Droite viewed ‘the West’ as a deracinated universalistic concept emanating from the United States, i.e. globalism. The Nouvelle Droite views Europe as being something distinct from ‘the West’. They view ‘the West’ as having its origins in Europe, but it is no longer European. Unlike contemporary critical race theorists who suggest that ‘whiteness’ is only a social construct, the Nouvelle Droite is instead making the argument that there is no ‘White world’ because all of European civilization is currently within the sphere of ‘the West’ and in having embraced its ideological tenets (universalism, egalitarianism, human rights, capitalism, etc.) it has adopted an anti-identity of sorts. Faye’s position critiqued the binary thinking that portrayed a civilized White West in opposition to a savage Third World (along with, paradoxically, ‘the West’ denying the importance of race as a concept). However, the irony of contemporary discourse is that while anti-White racism is often dismissed as non-existent, political opponents have increasingly defined ‘the White man’ as their primary adversary.

This represents a significant ideological shift over the past four decades. Faye himself eventually embraced the very identitarian racial nationalist vision he once criticized, advocating for White solidarity based on genetic rather than cultural ties. This transformation reflects broader changes in how European societies conceptualise identity and belonging.

The Re-Racialization of Society

Two primary factors have contributed to what the speakers term the ‘re-racialization’ of social relations. First, far-left ideological movements, including Black Studies, decolonial theories, and indigenist frameworks, have introduced racialised analytical frameworks into European discourse. By importing American racial paradigms, these movements inadvertently revived questions about whiteness that had been largely invisible in European contexts.

Second, and perhaps more significantly, mass immigration has created increasingly multicultural and multiracial societies that have become, paradoxically, ‘multiracist’. Urban areas are described as becoming ‘Balkanized’, with ethnic questions returning to prominence in ways reminiscent of Lebanon’s sectarian divisions.

The Concept of ‘Social Races’

The panel speakers distinguish between biological and sociological conceptions of race, emphasizing that contemporary racial dynamics operate as social constructions rather than scientific categories. Race functions as a ‘sociological phenomenon’ and ‘representation of the Other’ that governs perceptions through imagery and social positioning rather than material facts.

This framework helps explain how anti-racist movements have paradoxically contributed to re-racializing society. The expansion of what constitutes ‘racism’ has diluted the term’s meaning, encompassing everything from violent persecution to simple preferences about neighbourhood composition.

Class Dynamics and the ‘Petit Blanc’ Phenomenon

A crucial element of the analysis focuses on class divisions within White French society. The concept of ‘petit blanc’ (little White), aka les jambon-beurres¹ — originally a colonial term for middle figures between masters and slaves — now describes working-class White voters who feel abandoned by elite society. These individuals, often Le Pen supporters and manual laborers, were once positioned as overseers but now find themselves despised and marginalized.

The ‘grand blanc’ (big White), aka les bobos² — the elite class — is accused of sacrificing working-class Whites since the postcolonial period. Elite Whites can insulate themselves from the effects of immigration through private schools and residential segregation, while working-class Whites bear the brunt of social tensions in diverse neighborhoods.

Testimonies from the Margins

François Bousquet references collected testimonies from working-class French Whites in suburban areas who describe experiences of systematic violence and cultural displacement. These accounts reveal individuals trapped by economic circumstances in neighbourhoods where they face regular harassment and violence. Some describe being attacked repeatedly, chased through parks, and subjected to ongoing intimidation. Among many petit blanc you begin to see a form of internalized cultural inferiority, or the ‘White trashification’ of the White working class.

The psychological impact extends beyond physical violence to cultural displacement, with some young White women converting to Islam and adopting veils, while young men adopt what the panel speakers characterise as ‘thug culture’. This represents a form of cultural assimilation that effectively removes these individuals from their original community.

Media and Academic Silence

The discussion highlights how mainstream media and academic institutions largely ignore or dismiss these experiences. A comparison is made to domestic violence against men — a phenomenon that exists but carries a social stigma that prevents reporting and recognition. Similarly, White victims of racially motivated violence face shame in acknowledging their experiences.

This silence is attributed partly to elite class interests and partly to ideological frameworks that cannot accommodate White victimhood within their analytical structures. The result is a disconnect between lived experiences in diverse working-class areas and public discourse, which is often dominated by elite perspectives.

Implications for French Society

The analysis suggests that France faces a fundamental challenge in reconciling universalist republican ideals with increasing ethnic and cultural diversity. The speakers argue that universalism historically functioned within relatively homogeneous cultural contexts, and that extreme diversity creates inevitable conflicts that official ideology cannot acknowledge.

This situation has created what they describe as a ‘wall’ preventing honest discussion of these issues outside of specific media circles. François Bousquet’s book Le racisme antiblanc: L’enquête interdite (‘Anti-White Racism: The Forbidden Investigation’), referenced in the discussion, which documents experiences of anti-White racism, reportedly struggles to gain mainstream attention despite selling thousands of copies.³

The overall picture presented is of a society grappling with the unintended consequences of both immigration policy and anti-racist ideology, creating new forms of racial consciousness and conflict that challenge traditional French republican values while remaining largely invisible in mainstream discourse.

1. Les jambon-beurres translates to ‘ham sandwiches’. However, it is also a derogatory slang term to refer to the White working class.

2. Les bobos is a French portmanteau for ‘bourgeois-bohemians’. The American equivalent would be a champagne socialist or limousine liberal.

3. François Bousquet explores the phenomenon of anti-White racism in great detail in his recently published work Le racisme antiblanc: L’enquête interdite (‘Anti-White Racism: The Forbidden Investigation’) (English translation coming soon from Arktos).