Hundreds take to the streets to protest in support of French regional languages

Following a call from the organisation "Pour que vivent nos langues/Let our languages live", demonstrations have taken place in the Gironde, Dordogne and Pyrénées-Atlantiques regions. The protestors are unhappy with the recent rejection by the French constitutional court of parts of a law intended to protect regional languages.

Protesters hold a banner on behalf of the APLEC organisation which defends the teaching of Catalan in schools, Perpignan, 29 May 2021. © Twitter / Julia Taurinya

Despite the fact that at least 20 regional languages are spoken in mainland France, and a further fifty if you include the French overseas territories, the official language of the republic, according to the constitution, is French.

On that basis, the court which ensures that proposed legislation does not infringe the constitution last week removed a crucial passage concerning intensive courses in regional languages from the so-called Molac law, intended to protect and promote regional tongues, and named after the MP Paul Molac who has spearheaded the project in the French parliament.  

Six different groups were behind the organisation of protests in the south-central Dordogne, where the local language is Occitan, spoken by an estimated 9 percent of the 37,000 inhabitants of the city of Périgueux, where many families have chosen Occitan as the language of education of their children.

Supporters of the law fear that the constitutional court's rejection of the clause on intensive teaching will further marginalise local languages by making it impossible for new learners to acquire a reasonable level of competence rapidly.

After the unacceptable decision of the French Constitutional Council regarding the #LoiMolac , we endorse the call of protests today. The immersion model in schools is indispensable for our languages to live.#pourqueviventnoslangues pic.twitter.com/WP5GYvMvNV

— PEN Translation & Linguistic Rights Committee (@TLRC_PEN) May 29, 2021

No clash between languages

According to the president of the Dordogne Department, Germinal Peiro, there is no conflict between "any regional language, especially not Occitan, and French. The two reinforce and feed off one another naturally."

At least 400 protestors were to be seen in the Pyrenneen city of Pau, where local schools offering intensive courses in Basque and Gascon are threatened. "It's a huge slab of our culture which is at risk," says a teacer at one such school, locally know as "calandretas".

• Paris Perspective #11: The politics of language in France

In the wake of the constitutional court's decision to alter a law which was passed by parliament earlier this month, some supporters of regional languages are now considering calling for the re-writing of the second article of the republican constitution, which states that the language of France is French. 

Among the political figures taking part in Saturday's demonstrations were the independent MP Jean Lassalle and the centrist François Bayrou.

Protests were also planned in defence of languages spoken in the east of France, Corsica and Brittany.

Faced with the anger of protesters, President Emmanuel Macron posted a message on Facebook stating his position.

"The languages of France are a national treasure," he wrote. "All of them, whether from our mainland regions or the overseas territories; they all help to enrich our culture."