Moroccan-Owned Restaurant in Rural France Closes After Racist Attacks

Audrey and Brahim have suffered all kinds of racist attacks since they took over the restaurant "Le Vannon" in the village of Fouvent-Saint-Andoche (Haute-Saône), halfway between Dijon and Vesoul. Discouraged by the provocations and threats, the couple of restaurateurs reluctantly decided to close the establishment, only nine months after its opening. Yet, they had managed in a short time to make a name for themselves and find their place in this rural area.

"We do 40 to 50 covers a day. The villagers are happy to come to the restaurant without having to drive 15 or 20 kilometers. We organized concerts that attracted more people than the number of inhabitants in the village. It’s really going well!" confides Brahim to France 3 Bourgogne Franche-Comté. The mayor of the municipality, Alain Aubry, does not approve of this decision by the couple. "We are working hard to keep our rural communities alive. [...] On July 14th or the Christmas market, it’s with Audrey and Brahim that we set that up. I’m disgusted, sickened," he said.

The complaints filed by the couple with the gendarmerie have so far gone unanswered. "The gendarmes took us seriously. They told us that the people were not dangerous, that we should not worry," Brahim specifies. And he adds: "We are of a discreet nature. Our goal is to build our business and work for ourselves. We have no problem with the people of Fouvent. It’s a good village. We don’t hold anything against anyone." On September 24, a support rally was organized by the residents to ask the couple to stay.

The elected officials also continue to speak out to denounce these racist intimidations and convince the restaurateurs not to leave. "Our territory is not racist. It’s tragic for this young couple... This affair, frankly, I find it disgusting," stresses Dimitri Doussot, the president of the Community of Communes of the surroundings. The prefect of Haute-Saône, Michel Vilbois, also visited "to meet the managers, offer them his support and try to get them to change their minds." "Racism is not a political opinion, but a crime," indignantly denounces Antoine Villedieu, deputy of the Rassemblement National in the 1st constituency of Haute-Saône.