BITTER DIVIDE IN FRANCE – AT 11:45 A.M. ET:   France has an election coming up, and a new poll reveals deep divisions and tension in the country.  From the Daily Mail:

Sixty one per cent of French people believe Islam is incompatible with their society, according to a new poll.

That figure had been falling sharply until the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January 2015, and has been steadily growing ever since, an Ipsos survey found.

That is compared with six per cent of people who believe Catholicism is incompatible and 17 per cent who believe Judaism is incompatible.

A further 79 per cent of French people supported banning headscarves on university campuses, while another 77 per cent want to see the burkini banned.

France already has a nationwide law banning anyone from wearing a full-face veil, while several French Riviera towns attempted to ban full-body 'burkinis' in 2016, but the law was overturned.

COMMENT:  Those numbers are grim.  You just get the feeling that another terrorist attack could spark major violence.  Or, a real nationalist can be elected and pull France out of the European Union.

We are living in interesting times.  Too interesting.

March 28, 2017