Editing Multiculturalism (section)

===France===
{{Further|Immigration to France}}
After the end of World War II in  1945, immigration significantly increased. During the period of reconstruction, France lacked the labour to do so, and as a result; the French Government was eager to recruit immigrants coming from all over Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia.

Although there was a presence of, [[Vietnamese people in France|Vietnamese in France]] since the late-nineteenth century (mostly students and workers), a wave of Vietnamese migrated after 1954. These migrants consisted of those who were loyal to the colonial government and those married to French colonists. Following the [[partition of Vietnam]], students and professionals from [[South Vietnam]] continued to arrive in France. Although many initially returned to the country after a few years, as the [[Vietnam War]] situation worsened, a majority decided to remain in France and brought their families over as well.<ref>[http://eglasie.mepasie.org/divers-horizons/1995-10-16-la-diaspora-vietnamienne-en-france-un-cas La Diaspora Vietnamienne en France un cas particulier] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203000103/http://eglasie.mepasie.org/divers-horizons/1995-10-16-la-diaspora-vietnamienne-en-france-un-cas |date=3 December 2013}} (in French)</ref>

This period also saw a significant wave of immigrants from [[Algeria]]. As the [[Algerian War]] started in 1954, there were already 200,000 [[Algerians in France|Algerian immigrants in France]].<ref name="histoire-immigration.fr">"Le film: deux siècles d'histoire de l'immigration en France." http://www.histoire-immigration.fr/histoire-de-l-immigration/le-film {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102185749/http://www.histoire-immigration.fr/histoire-de-l-immigration/le-film |date=2 January 2017 }}</ref> However, because of the tension between the Algerians and the French, these immigrants were no longer welcome. This conflict between the two sides led to the [[Paris massacre of 1961|Paris Massacre]] of 17 October 1961, when the police used force against an Algerian demonstration on the streets of Paris. After the war, after Algeria gained its independence, the free circulation between France and Algeria was once again allowed, and the number of Algerian immigrants started to increase drastically. From 1962–75, the Algerian immigrant population increased from 350,000 to 700,000.<ref>"En 1962, lors de l'Indépendance, ils sont 350 000. En 1975 les émigrants algériens sont 710 000 et constituent le deuxième groupe d'étrangers après les Portugais." "De 1945 à 1975." {{cite web |url=http://www.histoire-immigration.fr/dix-themes-pour-connaitre-deux-siecles-d-histoire-de-l-immigration/emigrer/de-1945-a-1975 |title=De 1945 à 1975 &#124; Cité nationale de l'histoire de l'immigration |access-date=22 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110912030132/http://www.histoire-immigration.fr/dix-themes-pour-connaitre-deux-siecles-d-histoire-de-l-immigration/emigrer/de-1945-a-1975 |archive-date=12 September 2011 }}</ref> Many of these immigrants were known as the "[[harki]]s", and the others were known as the "[[pieds-noirs]]". The "harkis" were Algerians who supported the French during the Algerian War; once the war was over, they were deeply resented by other Algerians, and thus had to flee to France. The "pieds-noirs" were European settlers who moved to Algeria, but migrated back to France since 1962 when Algeria declared independence.

According to Erik Bleich, multiculturalism in France faced stiff resistance in the educational sector, especially regarding recent Muslim arrivals from Algeria. Gatekeepers often warned that multiculturalism was a threat to the historic basis of French culture.<ref>Erik Bleich,. "From international ideas to domestic policies: Educational multiculturalism in England and France." ''Comparative Politics'' (1998): 81–100 [http://www.middlebury.edu/media/view/251954/original/from_intl_ideas_to_domestic_policies.pdf online].</ref>

[[Jeremy Jennings]] finds three positions among elites regarding the question of reconciling traditional [[Fundamental principles recognized by the laws of the Republic|French Republican principles]] with multiculturalism. The traditionalists refuse to make any concessions and instead insist on clinging to the historic republican principles of [[Secularism in France|"laïcité"]] and the secular state in which religion and ethnicity are always ignored. In the middle are modernising republicans who uphold republicanism but also accept some elements of cultural pluralism. Finally there are multiculturalist republicans who envision a pluralist conception of French identity and seek an appreciation of the positive values brought to France by the minority cultures.<ref>Jeremy Jennings, "Citizenship, Republicanism and Multiculturalism in Contemporary France," ''British Journal of Political Science'' (2000) 30#4 575–597.</ref>

A major attack on multiculturalism came in [[Stasi Commission|Stasi Report]] of 2003 which denounces "Islamism" as deeply opposed to the mainstream interpretations of French culture. It is portrayed as a dangerous political agenda that will create a major obstacle for Muslims to comply with [[Secularism in France|French secularism or "laïcité "]].<ref>Jennifer A. Selby, "Islam in France reconfigured: Republican Islam in the 2010 Gerin report." ''Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs'' 31.3 (2011): 383–398.</ref>  Murat Akan, however, argues that the Stasi Report and the new regulations against the [[hijab]] and religious symbols in the schools must be set against gestures toward multiculturalism, such as the creation of Muslim schools under contract with the government.<ref>Murat Akan, "Laïcité and multiculturalism: the Stasi Report in context," ''British Journal of Sociology'' (2009) 60#2 pp 237–256 [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Murat-Akan/publication/26260531_Laicite_and_multiculturalism_The_Stasi_Report_in_context/links/5e7c8990a6fdcc139c0486a1/Laicite-and-multiculturalism-The-Stasi-Report-in-context.pdf online].</ref>