Your comments, right to reply and news about RFI

Armed robbery in France, airplane security, tolerance, Mohammed cartoons and the Burqa

by Tony Cross

Article published on the 2010-01-08 Latest update 2010-01-14 09:43 TU

Vincent Cassel stars as Jacqes Mesrine in "Mesrine, the death instinct" by Jean-François Richet

A multi-million-euro heist sparks heated debate. Plus should threats of airplane attacks stop people flying? How tolerant should you be and what should you tolerate? And a listeners' club in Bangladesh celebrates 16 years in existence.

Our report of a meticulously organised armed robbery in the south of France has excited a lot of interest, some of it apparently amused.

“They spent the ten million they robbed in 2007, and came back for an ATM withdraw,” comments Jose Filardo of Sao Paulo, after reading that a similar robbery took place just three years ago.

The story won a five-star rating from one reader on the Zerohedge website which linked to it, drawing comparisons with the film Heat starring Robert de Niro and Al Pacino.

Who knows? With the success in France of the two-parter based on the life of escaped convict and armed robber Jacques Mesrine, maybe this will lead to cinematic glory, too.

W Lusk in the US is not impressed by his government’s response to the failed airplane bombing on Christmas Day.

“Honestly, the US government doesn't know what to do,” he writes. “If you fly, put up with it or do as I do - don't fly. To me, flying is like going to one of those rumored British vacations where you pay and they spank you.”

Although of British origin myself, I have to say I hadn’t heard about those holidays, Mr Lusk. Do tell us more.

Regular RFI listener Ahmed Chakroun in Algeria appeals for worldwide peace.

“God bless the symbols of international peace in this world,” he writes and goes on to call for “total respect between cultures, peoples, religions, civilisations and nations”.

Some other site visitors are not so stuck on tolerance.

“The Danes are now finished, you patriots allowed your country to be taken by the Muslims,” writes a Mr Brown from the UK on reading of the attack on cartoonist Kurt Westergard in Denmark. He accuses Danes of being “a nation of cowards and Islamic appeasers” and continues in an even more splenetic vein.

Alan Reck of Holt, in the US, backs attempts to ban the burqa in France.

“I just wish other countries would come to the same conclusion,” he comments on our report that the French Socialist Party is against any such measure. “The burqa is nothing but a put-down for women. NOTHING justifies the wearing of such in any country.”

And a listeners’ club in Bangladesh writes to tell us that it is celebrating its 16^th birthday next month.

“Happy New Year 2010,” writes Mohammad Wobaydullah Pintu of the 50-strong Rainbow Listeners’ Club. “We are very proud of RADIO FRANCE INTERNATIONAL.”

All the staff here at RFI wish him and his fellow club members a happy new year too. And the same to the rest of you!

News about RFI

Paul Myers is reporting from the Africa Cup of Nations this week. Follow his blog on the site and listen to his reports in our broadcasts. A special dossier will give information on the players, the groups and background by RFI's sport staff.

This week RFI in English expanded its live stream to include its evening Africa broadcasts at 16.00 and at 17.00 UT. All our broadcasts have always been available after the show, and can also be podcasted on a daily basis.

Now, if we're on the air, you can listen to any of the programmes as they go out (except for the 12.00 UT programme, which is not yet on our live stream).

Listen to our live stream by clicking on "Live" on the left-hand side of any page on our site.

Piotr Kaminski of RFI's Polish service was one of five winners of a golden mike award in Poland. He is a well-known writer and commentator on Classical music both in Poland and France. Although RFI's broadcasts in Polish stopped last month, it still has web pages in the language.

A strike called to protest at alleged discrimination in RFI's redundancy scheme and other aspects of management's reform of the station started on Thursday 7 December with little disruption to broadcasts reported.
 

Most viewed on RFI this week:

• Armed robbers snatch millions in security van heist;
• Fireworks, parties and a few arrests in New Year's revels;
• France on ice alert as Europe freezes;
• Death of Philippe Séguin, politician and chief financial auditor;
• Taliban claim killing of eight Americans;

·            .

Have you got criticism or praise of our coverage? An opinion you want the world to hear? Information that has not appeared on our site?

Write to us either by clicking on the link at the top of our homepage or the "Comments on article" tab in an article or via our site.