French Polynesia: Former president fined over racial slur

A Tahitan criminal court found Oscar Temaru, former president of French Polynesia, guilty of racial discrimination and has fined him 500,000 French Pacific francs (USD5,917/€4,190).  The comments in question were made last September during a budgetary session of the French Polynesia Assembly, while Temaru was still president.  These comments were broadcast live over the French-language state radio station, Radio Polynésie.

Jean-Pierre Condamines filed the racial discrimination charges.  Temaru was also ordered to pay Condamines a single French Pacific franc in damages.  Condamines's attorney told Les Nouvelles de Tahiti that he believed the conviction for racial discrimination was a first in French Polynesia.

Condamines's complaint is that Temaru used the Tahitan word aiha to describe non-Tahitans.  This translates to déchet [waste] or bon à rien [good-for-nothing] in French, according to La Dépêche de Tahiti.

Condamines is a Frenchman who is a member of the conservative political party Tahoera'a Huiraatira, which supports the current autonomy arrangement between French Polynesia and France.  Temaru's party, Tavini Huiraatira, is pro-independence.  [France retains control of defense, immigration, tertiary education, money supply, and law and order in French Polynesia under the current autonomy arrangement.  The arrangement also includes a high commissioner appointed by France.]

Temaru is appealing the conviction.  His party made a statement that there was no discrimination or hatred in Temaru's comments, that Tahoera'a Huiraatira is using the judiciary as a political weapon, and that French president Nicolas Sarkozy has used inflammatory expressions in the past.  They also claim that Tahoera'a Huiraatira has used harsher words in assembly.

Tahoera'a Huiraatira has said only that it welcomed the conviction and that it hoped it would stop Temaru from making xenophobic and racist statements in the future.

Please see also:
"French Polynesia's Temaru appeals racism ruling"  Radio New Zealand International  12 July 2007
"Temaru found guilty of 'racial discrimination' "  Pacific Magazine  12 July 2007
"Former Tahiti president Oscar Temaru found guilty of 'racial discrimination' "  Tahitipresse  11 July 2007  (article in English)

CIA World Factbook: French Polynesia
World Statesmen.org: French Polynesia