Europe United Kingdom '' by
William Hogarth portrays France as an oppressive, poverty-stricken and backward culture. England and France have
a long history of conflict, dating from before the
Battle of Hastings, when
William the Conqueror claimed the English throne. Before becoming King of England, William found conflict with his
liege Henry I of France several times and conquered some neighbouring fiefs. The relationship between the countries continued to be filled with conflict, even during the
Third Crusade. The medieval era of conflict climaxed during the
Hundred Years' War, when the
House of Plantagenet fought unsuccessfully for control of the
French throne and lost almost all French holdings, which resulted in future English kings being more culturally English from
Henry III onwards. Previously, they had largely spoken French and lived in French castles much of the time.
Richard the Lionheart, who was famous for his feud with French King
Philip, spent most of his life in France and as little as six months of his reign as King in England. In contrast, relations between Scotland and France were generally good. The French throne sided numerous time with Scotland in its conflicts with the English throne, making this relationship compound the existing direct hostility. The
Auld Alliance treaty of 1295 provided for mutual support between Scotland and France in the event of an English attack on either. This was replaced by the 1560
Treaty of Edinburgh between England, Scotland and France. The modern history of conflict between Britain and France stems from the rise of Britain as a primary commercial and maritime power in Europe in the early 18th century onward and the threat it posed to France's ambitions. Hostility toward and strategic conflict with France's similar interests became a defining characteristic of relations between the two powers. The time between the
Glorious Revolution of 1688 and
Napoleon's final capitulation in 1815 has been perceived in Britain as a prolonged Franco-British conflict to determine who would be the dominant colonial power (sometimes called the ''
Second Hundred Years' War''). British hostility to the
Catholic Church, which dated back to earlier conflicts with Catholic
Habsburg Spain, contributed to attitudes towards the French because France was also seen as a Catholic power, and the majority of the British people were
Protestants. England and later Britain joined continental European states in resisting the rising French
imperialism during the reign of
Louis XIV and the
Napoleonic Wars. Britain also resented France's intervention in the
American Revolutionary War. This historical antagonism became ingrained in the culture of both countries but was mostly overcome by their successful alliance to stop German aggression in
World War I and
World War II in the first half of the 20th century. The dimensions of the conflict in Britain were as much cultural as strategic. Indeed,
British nationalism, in its nascent phases, was in large part an anti-France phenomenon and the attitudes involved extended well beyond who won what on various battlefields: • France was the most powerful
Catholic state for much of the modern period and
anti-Catholic sentiments had been widespread in Britain since the
Act of Supremacy in 1534. • The permeation of anti-French sentiment throughout society, as epitomised by the apocryphal story of the
Hartlepool monkey hangers, whose belief that the French were literally inhuman led them to have allegedly executed a pet monkey in the belief that it was an invading Frenchman, but the story is based upon the disputed premise that those involved had never seen a Frenchman before.
Robert Graves wrote shortly after the First World War during his time at
Oxford University as an undergraduate that:
Germany Beginning with the French invasions of Germany in the late 18th century, France became the century-long rival of
Germany. The rising
German nationalist movement also considered France their greatest enemy because France not only had temporarily conquered much of Western Germany during the Napoleonic Wars but also was the country most strongly opposed to the idea of a unified German empire and wanted Germany to remain divided into many individual states. In this time, the myth of the so-called
hereditary enmity () came into being, according to which the Romanic French and the Germanic Germans had been antithetic enemies ever since the
Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, a notion that was inherently unhistorical. In the 19th century, anti-French sentiment became commonplace in German political discourse even if the deep cultural interrelation between the two could never be blanked out completely. (
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe poked fun at this in his epic
Faust I with the verse: "A real German man likes no Frenchy, but he likes to drink their wines.") Several German nationalist anthems were written against the French, most prominently
Die Wacht am Rhein. After the German victory in the
Franco-Prussian War in 1871, the anniversary of the decisive
Battle of Sedan was made a semiofficial national holiday in the
German Empire. After the culminations of Franco-German enmity in both world wars, the two actively gave up their mutual animosities in the second half of the twentieth century. The most prominent symbol of this development is the picture of heads of government
François Mitterrand and
Helmut Kohl holding each other's hands at a ceremony at the military cemetery in
Verdun in 1984. Today, Germany and
France are close political partners and two closely connected nations. A joint Franco-German television network,
Arte, was founded in 1992.
Ireland Recently, there have been a few instances of friction between France and the
Republic of Ireland over political and economic issues that led to expressions of Irish francophobia. One of these was when Ireland rejected the
Lisbon treaty in a referendum in 2008 and
Nicolas Sarkozy commented that Ireland "must vote again" –
as it indeed did the following year. Another source has been the French criticism of Ireland's low corporate taxation rate and the perceived French resistance to conceding an interest rate reduction on the
International Monetary Fund/
European Union loan arrangement until Ireland "moves" on this rate, which was perceived as interference. Francophobia in Ireland rose in the aftermath of a
controversial FIFA World Cup playoff game between the two countries, leading to protests outside the French Embassy in Dublin. Irish businesses exploited the occasion in a mostly light-hearted way, with promotions offering discounts for every goal scored against France and special reductions to celebrate the elimination of France from the tournament.
Russia Some Russians mock French people with the nickname "Lyagushatniki", literally "frog people".
Italy On
Easter Monday (30 March) 1282, at the Church of the Holy Spirit just outside
Palermo, at evening prayer (
vespers), a Frenchman harassed a Sicilian woman. This single event led to the massacre of 4,000 Frenchmen over the course of the next six weeks, and the government of the French-born king
Charles I of Anjou lost control of the island.
Spain '' Goya painted several famous pictures depicting the violence of the
Peninsula wars during the
Napoleonic Era. In particular, the French actions against Spanish civilians during the
Peninsular War drew a large amount of criticism, as illustrated by
The Third of May 1808 painting. From 5 to 6 June 1808 Spanish clergyman
Baltasar Calvo organized a massacre of 400 French civilians in
Valencia.
Africa French colonialism in Africa led to anti-French sentiments among colonised peoples, particular during periods of conflict between the French and various African states. Imperial disputes with other European colonial powers in Africa (such as the
Fashoda Incident) also led to anti-French sentiments. More recently, the French policy of maintaining the
Françafrique has been characterized as
neocolonialism and led to further anti-French sentiments. France is also accused of privileging its interests, by denying the interests of African states. Despite promises of French presidents and politicians to normalize relations with African countries and review the policy of
the Elysée Palace towards Africa, Paris currently continues to use economic aid and the French language as leverage. However, the African continent has become much more independent in recent decades. Nowadays almost all attempts of the French government to influence African countries end up with discontent and growth of anti-French sentiment.
Algeria The
Algerian War had been underway since 1954. The
Évian Accords of March 18, 1962, brought an end to the conflict. The Accords, which were reached during a cease-fire between French armed forces and the Algerian nationalist organization the
FLN, began the process of transfer of power from the French to the Algerians. The Évian Accords intended to guarantee the rights and safety of the
Pieds-Noirs, the French-speaking
European settlers in an independent
Algeria. In 1959, the
Pieds-Noirs numbered 1,025,000, and accounted for 10.4% of the total population of
French Algeria. However, rumors had already spread among the
Pieds-Noirs that their choice would be between "the suitcase or the coffin". On the morning of July 5, 1962, the day Algeria became independent, seven companies of FLN troops entered the city of
Oran when several European settlers fired shots at them. An outraged Arab mob swept into the
Pieds-Noir neighborhoods, which had already been largely vacated, and attacked the estimated 40,000 remaining
Pieds-Noirs. The violence lasted several hours, during which the mob cut the throats of many men, women and children.
Côte d'Ivoire France's intervention in the
civil war in Côte d'Ivoire has triggered anti-French violence by the "
Young Patriots" and other groups.
Rwanda Other African countries is anti-French in outlook. The new trend of African countries to "turn away" from Paris was provoked by inability of France to maintain stability and security in the former colonies. Coups and attempted coups indicate the growth of anti-French sentiment and the collapse of Francafrique. Moreover, the countries of
Mali and
Burkina Faso removed French as an official language due to deteriorating relations with France's government. Over the past years, rebellions have occurred not only in Mali, Burkina-Faso and
Niger, but also in
Chad and
Gabon, forcing France to reduce its presence on the continent. Thus, Paris reduces the number of its military personnel from 350 to 100 in Gabon, and from 1000 to 300 in Chad. On 6 July 2024, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso also formed the
Alliance of Sahel States, a confederation which is anti-French (as well as anti-
ECOWAS) in outlook. In addition, reporters from France have also faced numerous instances of harassment and hostility from the host nation. In November 2020, Azerbaijan sent a protest note to Paris after the French Senate recognized the
Republic of Artsakh. As it is only a motion, it is not legally binding.
Vietnam French colonists were given the special epithet
thực dân (originally meaning
colonist but evolving to refer to the oppressive regime of the French) in
Vietnamese; it is still universally used in discussions about the colonial era. After the French were pushed out of Vietnam, those who collaborated with them (called
tay sai – agents) were vilified. Those who left for France with the French were known as
Việt gian (Viet traitors) and had all their property confiscated. Anti-French feelings have greatly abated in modern
Vietnam.
Cambodia During the
First Indochina War, many members of the Cambodian government joined the anti - French
Khmer Issarak. After
Cambodia's independence in 1953, Head of State
Norodom Sihanouk refused to make French an official language in his country. During the
Khmer Republic of
Lon Nol, Cambodia had a fond relationship with their former colonizer. It was after
Sihanouk - Pol Pot forces launched an offensive and overthrew Lon Nol, that
Pol Pot and the
Khmer Rouge passed anti - French laws that punished people who had any knowledge of the language at all. French in Cambodia would decline until the restoration of the monarchy in 1993. As a result of the Khmer Rouge's policies, Cambodia is the country in the former French Indochina with the least number of speakers learning French, as
English has become more of a second language.
China During the 1884
Battle of Tamsui, the Chinese took prisoner and beheaded 11 French marines, who were injured, in addition to ''La Gailissonniere's
captain Fontaine and used bamboo poles to display the heads in public to incite anti-French feelings in China. Pictures of the decapitation of the French were published in the Tien-shih-tsai Pictorial Journal'' in Shanghai. There was an anti-French campaign in 1916–1917.
Syria Anti-French sentiment started to develop when the French, who negotiated the infamous
Sykes–Picot Agreement, began invading Syria. The
Battle of Maysalun that happened in 1920, where the Syrian Army was under the command of the charismatic
Yusuf al-'Azma, symbolized a strong anti-French sentiment among Syrians as France had regenerated the promise to occupy and terrorize the Syrian population. French rule in Syria was viewed extremely negatively by a lot of Syrians, and French involvement in the
Syrian Civil War also gained little sympathy.
Pakistan In October 2020, there were numerous protests in Pakistan concerning
President Macron's statements on the
murder of Samuel Paty. In April 2021, violent anti-French protests organised by the
Tehreek-e-Labbaik led the French embassy to advise all French citizens in Pakistan to leave the country.
Turkey In October 2020, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called for Turkish citizens to boycott French products.
Americas United States Despite a large French contribution to the 1991 Iraq
Gulf War (called
Operation Daguet) and the French presence in Afghanistan (
Operation Enduring Freedom), the opposition of French President
Jacques Chirac to the 2003
Iraq War led to a significant rise in anti-French sentiment in the United States. In March 2003, the cafeteria of the
United States House of Representatives had its French fries and French toast renamed to freedom fries and toast, at the direction of Representatives
Bob Ney and
Walter Jones. Ney chaired the
Committee on House Administration and had authority over the menu in the House cafeteria. The french fries renaming was not without controversy or opposition.
Timothy Noah of
Slate noted that the move was "meant to demonize France for its exasperating refusal to support a war against Iraq". He compared the 2003 renamings to the renaming of all things German in World War I, but argued that the freedom fries episode was even worse because "Germany, after all, was America's enemy, whereas France is America's NATO ally." The swell of anti-French sentiment in the United States resulting from 2003 episode was marked. Various media personalities and politicians openly expressed anti-French sentiments;
News Corporation's media outlets, particularly the
Fox Entertainment Group's
Fox News Network, were specifically implicated in a campaign fanning francophobia at the time of the war. By 2006, anti-French sentiment among the American public began to decline, following an increased rise in opposition to the
Iraq War and rising disapproval of the
George W. Bush administration. As a result, positive views of France among Americans began to increase steadily and by 2016, American favorable ratings of France reached a historic high of 87%. Historically, the French-speaking peoples of Louisiana and New England have also been exposed to disparagement and discrimination. Along with nationwide suppression of the French language, francophones in Vermont were subject to
involuntary sterilization during the early twentieth century, when Vermont implemented
eugenics policies targeting "the poor, the disabled, French-Canadians and Native Americans." In the 1960s, a common argument against the founding of
CODOFIL, Louisiana's agency of francophone affairs, was that empowering the francophone population might foster Quebec-style nationalism, and fracturing national unity. US Representative
James R. Domengeaux and founder of CODOFIL and a prominent advocate for francophone rights, was forced to address these concerns on multiple occasions. While subsequent years have since proven these fears baseless, such arguments were considered an adequate reason to deny Louisiana's francophones basic political recognition.
Canada Anti-Quebec sentiment () is a form of prejudice which is expressed toward the
government,
culture, and/or the
francophone people of
Quebec. The French-language media in Quebec has termed anti-Quebec sentiment
Québec bashing—what it perceives as hateful, anti-Quebec coverage in the English-language media. It mostly cites examples from the
English-Canadian media, and occasionally in coverage from other countries, often based on Canadian sources. Some
sovereignist journalists and academics noted that unfavourable depictions of the province by the media increased in the late 1990s after the unsuccessful
1995 Quebec referendum on
independence.
Haiti In 1804, Haitian leader
Jean-Jacques Dessalines ordered the
massacre of nearly all white men, women, and children remaining in
Haiti following the
Haitian Revolution "except for priests, skilled artisans, health care workers, Americans and British"; between January and April 1804, 3,000 to 5,000 whites were killed.
Oceania New Zealand France controls several islands in the Pacific Ocean which include
New Caledonia,
Wallis and Futuna Islands and
French Polynesia. There have been sporadic independence demonstrations in French Polynesia, and briefly in the 1980s, a pro-independence insurgency in New Caledonia, led by the
Front de Libération Nationale Kanak Socialiste. There is also the issue of
nuclear testing in the Pacific. Since 1960, around 200 nuclear tests have occurred around the Pacific, to the opprobrium of other Pacific states, Australia and New Zealand. In 1972, the
Greenpeace vessel
Vega was rammed at
Moruroa. The following year Greenpeace protesters were detained by the French, and the skipper claimed he was beaten. Also, in 1985 the French secret service
bombed and sank the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in
Auckland, New Zealand. Greenpeace had been a very vocal opponent of French nuclear testing in the Pacific. In 1982, New Zealand reggae band
Herbs released their breakthrough single, "French Letter", which strongly criticised French nuclear testing. The end of the
Cold War led to a French moratorium on nuclear testing, but it was lifted in 1995 by
Jacques Chirac. French security forces had sought to interfere with the activity of nuclear testing protesters. Australia ceased military cooperation with France and embargoed the export of
uranium to France. Chirac's decision to run a nuclear test series at
Mururoa on 5 September and 2 October 1995, just one year before the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty was to be signed, caused worldwide protest, including an
embargo of French wine. Riots took place across Polynesia, and the
South Pacific Forum threatened to suspend France.
Australia Similar anti-French protests occurred in Australia in response to
Jacques Chirac's announcement of his intentions to resume French nuclear tests in the Pacific in 1995. In
Sydney, protestors marched with placards stating "Guillotine Chirac", "In Your Back Yard Jacques" and "Ageing Hippies Against the Bomb". According to British journalists Robert Milliken and Tony Barber, French nuclear tests in the Pacific had led Australia (and New Zealand) to " [drift] further from their European roots" and reorient their foreign policy in Asia, and establish closer relationships with nations in the Pacific. Numerous
boycotts were launched against French companies and products in Australia, and French-owned businesses were vandalised. Marc Lacher, a French-born Australian with dual citizenship, noted that "Like many French people in Australia we're against the tests." Lacher also stated that "If Australia is serious, it would stop selling uranium to France".
New Caledonia New Caledonia is a sui generis collectivity of overseas France in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The separatist
Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front has been operating on the island since the 1970s. They demand independence from France. In May 2024, the organization's activities intensified due to attempt of Paris to amend the constitution which would allow migrants who arrived on the island after 1998 to participate in elections and referendums. French President
Emmanuel Macron had to declare a state of emergency in New Caledonia and send troops to counter the protesters. At the moment, France has arrested 11 rebels and taken them to its territory by a special board. This event caused a wave of riots. The protesters are smashing up administrative buildings and gun shops. == France and World War II ==