French xenophobia highlighted at Celts' conference

 Jacques Gaucher, who teaches at the primary school in St. Brieuc, was reprimanded for teaching Breton history. The inspector who investigated the complaint praised Mr. Gaucher's work but he was told to teach only French history in future. The incident followed a complaint from one parent.

 Celtic League General Secretary, Bernard Moffatt, called the attitude to National minorities living within their frontiers "medieval" and said that, "the French government should be invited to join the rest of us living in the twentieth century and not the past." He went to say that French government xenophobia extended also to the National languages of groups like the Bretons, Corsicans and other monorities.

 It was agreed to support Mr. Gaucher who was one of a number of Breton delegates attending the meeting. Later in the weekend the French again came in for criticism during the adoption of a resolution on the European Charter for Regionaland Minority Languages. As a resolution calling on the UK to honour past Labour Party commitments was adopted, the General Secretary referred the conference to the pledge of Jacques Chirac to ratify the Charter made on a visit to Brittany last year. Mr. Moffatt said:

 "the French are a curious people they number tens of millions, yet are petrified of small million minorities within their borders - their President, by his actions, has proved himself to be a liar."