“Of course it’s silly!“In her kitchen, Marie does not understand why people are calling for a boycott of Russian products on social networks.”We have the right to eat whatever we want today. If you want to buy kasha and pelmeni, it’s not not for that that we are pro-Putin… Anyway, it’s ridiculous! Afterwards, I imagine that people will still be able to take a step back and think a little bit and understand that it has nothing to do with it.“
>> War in Ukraine: follow the evolution of the situation
This editor, mother of three children, is not really worried about herself and her family. She does not expect to be taken to task: “Our great-grandparents left Russia in 1917, so we have been French for quite a few generations. We really have Russia in our hearts, but we are still French too. Nothing special is going to happen.“
Same feeling for this young French teacher. He is of Russian origin, prefers to remain anonymous, but does not fear being treated as an outcast: “I didn’t see any French people arriving with bike chains and bats, calling me ‘ruskov’.”
It doesn’t seem very realistic to me that, all of a sudden, French opinion could become fiercely anti-Russian. I can’t see very well.”
A Frenchman of Russian originat franceinfo
The French government has announced the suspension of Russian cultural events in France, a regrettable decision for Mathieu. This musician, also of Russian origin, assures him: he is not pro-Putin, but he does not understand why it is up to him and his friends to pay for the Russian president.
“We no longer come to our restaurants, we are deprogrammed our concerts, but we are French, we are in France! There is something wrong. There is a terrible mix. Right away, people confuse everything. I understand that we have to react to what Putin and his government have done, etc. But I am not convinced that we are engaged in the right way. I think that’s really adding fuel to the fire.“, he laments.
For several days in France, Russian restaurants have shown a drop in attendance or bad publicity on social networks. Some even received threatening letters.