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French Newspaper Slams the Rich: ‘Fu** Off You Wealthy Bastard’

Sep. 10, 2012 10:51am Erica Ritz

French Paper Liberation Orders Wealthy: Get Lost

French President Francois Hollande has discussed steep tax increases for the country's wealthiest citizens. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

France’s government has been primarily run by socialists since mid-June, when they swept the parliament and gave President Francois Hollande a solid majority.

No friend to the rich, Hollande immediately began calling for a 75% tax on the country’s wealthiest citizens. Economically, the plan is failing miserably — the country is projecting a 1% growth rate for 2013, and the wealthy are leaving in droves.

At least one French newspaper, however, is unrepentant.

After the country’s richest man, Bernard Arnault, moved to seek Belgian citizenship over the weekend, the daily newspaper Libération ordered the man to “get lost” on its front page Monday.

Referring to him as a “rich idiot,” the title roughly translates as “f**k off, you wealthy bastard,” according to Business Insider.

Here is the cover:

(Photo via Business Insider)

Picturing the 63-year-old head of the Louis Vuitton, Moët and Hennessy (LVMH) luxury goods empire with suitcase in hand, the paper asserts that Arnault will be, for all intents and purposes, exiled from France for his decision.

Even if the government makes no such move, it apparently embodies a “symbol of the selfishness by the most wealthy,” France 24 translates.

The paper has an audience of roughly 140,000 people, according to Business Insider, and references the stark contrast between Hollande and former President Sarkozy with the title. While the country is now telling the wealthy to “get lost,” apparently Sarkozy said something similar to a farmer while in office.

France 24 has more on the reaction to Arnault’s decision:

“Bernard Arnault should realise what it means to ask for another nationality… Being French is not just about receiving, it is about giving to your country,” the [French] president said.

Arnauld insisted on Sunday that his application is not motivated by money, nor should it be seen as a political statement.

“I am and will remain a tax resident in France and in this regard I will, like all French people, fulfil my fiscal obligations,” the world’s fourth-richest man told AFP.

“Our country must count on everyone to do their bit to face a deep economic crisis amid strict budgetary constraints,” he said.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the outspoken leader of the Left Front coalition of far-left political parties, had perhaps the strongest response.

“People like him were parasites,” he concluded.

(H/T: Business Insider)

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Comments (55)

JThomasS
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 1:03pm
Has anyone heard about that new movie Blood Bodies and Oil, it blames France and Germany for the Iraq war?
It also accuses Obama and the Dems of being Euro Socialists losers. I saw the trailer should I buy the movie and play it for my Lib friends? It gets lonely being a real Conservative amongst a bunch of pan handling liberal friends!

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- Magyar
  Posted on September 10, 2012 at 7:19pm
  Dude! Forget sharing the movie with your buds— Surely you understand that they will NEVER change.
  
  Instead, find some new conservative friends and let your loutish libs friends go the way of attrition!
  
  Report this comment
ConConInCon
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 1:02pm
Yeah, right, he’s the parasite. We’ll start to see all the real French parasites scrambling around in just a short amount of time when the rest of France’s rich take the quickest route out.

I’d love to see the reactions of some of these people if they were approached by people worse off than them and were demanded to give over 75% of their income. I have a feeling they wouldn’t be too supportive of this practice for very long.

The class warfare being waged across the globe is disgusting and detrimental to all nations. Needless to say, leftist suck.

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term limits for congress
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 1:00pm
Rich are moving out. Islamists are moving in. Viva la Burqa!

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- Gonzo
  Posted on September 10, 2012 at 1:52pm
  Coming soon to a town near you…if Obama wins reelection.
  
  Report this comment
- Wango
  Posted on September 10, 2012 at 11:59pm
  Well if you’re all happy to say “FO you poor bastards,” seems only fair.
  
  Report this comment
potvin
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 12:52pm
Arnault shouldn’t feel singled out, all citizens of France are parasites.

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yanki161
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 12:47pm
The rich aren’t the parasites. They’re the hosts off which the parasites feed.

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- Flag-Man
  Posted on September 10, 2012 at 12:57pm
  So true, without the rich the parasites don’t eat
  
  Report this comment
- GoPokes
  Posted on September 10, 2012 at 7:50pm
  Wow! I didn’t know Roseanne Barr could even read or write, but apparently, that cow has a user account on The Blaze???
  
  Report this comment
- Wolfgang the Gray
  Posted on September 10, 2012 at 8:49pm
  When the rich leave and all those sucking the government teat find the milk has stopped flowing, and the Islamist immigrants that moved to France to live on the dole, there will really be a show when the earners reach zero and the parasites begin to feast on each other. Where will France be then?
  
  Report this comment
BasketFullOfPuppies
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 12:42pm
If I were to ask you to pay my way, just because you have more than me, would you call it “fair”? If you look at it mathematically, there is only so much wealth in the world. If you redistribute that wealth so that it is equal among all, it will only bring most people down, while those on the outside of the curve will move up. This is why socialism seeks the lowest common denominator, without regard for the facts. The biggest problem is that it’s not “equal”. It’s only equality for those that are outside of the governing circles. You can bet that the lawmakers and politically connected don’t expect to lose anything. Do you see Fidel Castro or China’s ruling class living in the same neighborhoods as those they govern? Speaking of which, why is there so much poverty in China, where everyone is equal?

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- cdison21
  Posted on September 10, 2012 at 3:39pm
  “Socialism is for the people, not the socialist.”-Andrew Wilkow
  
  Report this comment
- texastommy
  Posted on September 11, 2012 at 9:51am
  The fallacy is that there is not a finite amount of wealth in the world. Wealth can be created. Do you think there is as much wealth now as we had back in, oh, 20,000 BC? The whole point is to create more wealth for those who have little. That can only happen by the rich investing in economic growth, which won’t happen if Uncle Francois takes it from them.
  
  Report this comment
RANGER1965
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 12:39pm
People know when they’re not wanted.

They either leave, or start rebellions.

When the super rich leave, taking with them jobs, taxes, and opportunities the nation of France will get poorer an worse. The Socialists in charge not wanting the blame to fall on them, will seek a new enemy: The moderately rich. Then it will be simply the well off…and so on.

…and when France is falling apart in massive debt, and it’s people are jobless, and starving, they will begin to eye this group of Socialists they voted in.

A….”let them eat cake moment” is upon them.

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- woebegone
  Posted on September 10, 2012 at 5:15pm
  No they will do what they did before, break out the guillotines. The problem is that the social situation for the poor now isn’t remotely like it was for the poor then. This is the cult of victimization. Next the French will want reparations from the countries they colonized because after all those countries allowed the French to colonize them, keep tuning in folks this will be the next plot twist. I’ll bet you a dollar…
  
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Bill Wallace
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 12:36pm
Hilarious.

France has the rich moving out due to uncontrolled spending and being a target for the abuse of government.

Spain has the rich moving out due to uncontrolled spending and afraid of being the target for the abuses of government.

Lesson to learn here, people. Let’s look at these nations and see how it would play out in the US. Stagnant growith in those nations, overburdened with debt, unable to increase taxes because everyone left.

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repairsea
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 12:33pm
Fetchez La Vache

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- midnightvelvet
  Posted on September 11, 2012 at 2:14am
  As he leaves, he can fart in their general direction.
  
  Report this comment
Jenny Lind
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 12:07pm
People lke him are parasites? He has to use more than he pays to be a parasite, so how does he do that? Maybe the rich in France are tired of paying for the short- work -week, early- retirement, health -care- government -paid -for workers. Imagine paying tons of taxes for the privilage of living in a country who does not appreciate your tax contributions, oh wait, starting with the middle class and up, Americans do.

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My Two Cents
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 12:03pm
A character in a novel I read held the opinion that France lost the best part of it’s gene pool in the trenches during WWI.

It looks like truth meets fiction where the current state of affairs in France is concerned.

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henryKnox
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 12:03pm
Without a doubt, these Socialists are sounding ‘crazy’. It is really scary when you think how these regimes have historically ended. It is amazing that they can find so many uneducated people to go along with the class warfare, bureaucratic, autocratic control. It is as though they all checked in their brains and became zombies.

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Sirfoldallot
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 12:02pm
I have a French gun from WW2 that was never fired 4 sale

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- KeithOlberdink
  Posted on September 10, 2012 at 12:19pm
  Does it come with a white flag installed on the barrel?
  
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- 762x51
  Posted on September 10, 2012 at 6:10pm
  Good luck, the French were as terrible at weapons design / manufacture as they were at fighting. The French Army hasn’t won a battle all by itself since 1823 and haven’t had a reliable military arm design since the Lebel Model 1886 bolt action rifle which was mostly a re-engineering of a Swiss design.
  
  You’d have better luck selling a French wine of Cognac from WWII.
  
  Report this comment
Eric_The_Red_State
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 11:58am
New World Order.
When the rich leave their countries – the countries will try to lock up their money.
That will be a lot harder when all the money is “equal”
That will be a lot harder when all the countries are “equal”
What they will need to do is create the need to have a “world leader”
And these asshats that pushed for SECURITY as a trade for LIBERTY will all of a sudden find that they now have NEITHER.
We will be ruled by the elite and be under the thumb of a government that doens’t have to care anymore because now THEY have the power. Not “we the people” anymore.

This ****** me off SO MUCH because it was preventable.

The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money. — Alexis de Tocqueville

Obama revs up the big parade –
He churns our lemons into lemonade –
He can lead this race with a massive base –
Because half the country’s on government aid.

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- trueblueday
  Posted on September 10, 2012 at 8:33pm
  Just a thought about Hillary. As Secretary of State, she travels the globe – meeting with heads of state, presidents, and rulers. What really transpires with all of this diplomacy? Could she setting herself up to being a world leader? Just a thought. (It has been said she helped form the shadow party, along with others such as Soros.) Maybe she will head the NWO(?) Yep, sounds crazy, but a lot of crazy has been happening lately.
  
  Report this comment
jrcess
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 11:47am
News paper is owned by NBC. GO FIGURE!!!

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- turkey13
  Posted on September 10, 2012 at 12:06pm
  Makes me think of Zuccerberg (facebook)! Instead of giving up half of of his $$$ 3 billion to Oama he gave up is citizenship. For that kind of money you can buy a country o t least an island. Californians are moveing to Texas and it looks like we are going to get rid of state income taxes here in Oklahoma. This French newspaper is just ticked because the real wealthy don’t want to give $ 3 million out of each 4 million they make – Duh. I like the moment when Wll Smith was ovre there and he said “he didn’t mind payng $10 million out of each 20 million he made.” When he was told that France was going to 75% he chocked and was speechless for a momet. Spread the wealth as Obama said.
  
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Sirfoldallot
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 11:47am
What if the big shots in Holywood hear this ?

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Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 11:33am
Just like Rush and Glenn leaving New York, to places that have lower, or no income taxes. If I were rich, I’d do exactly the same thing. It’s THEIR money, THEY earned it. When some jealous, petty bureaucrat tries to tax you, just because they cannot stop spending, or risk raising the ire of their voting base, the poor, by cutting social services, then it’s time to leave the country to the idiots.
I wonder which group is getting more entitlements, French, or muslims?

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- Flag-Man
  Posted on September 10, 2012 at 1:05pm
  I would leave those high tax states anyway.
  Conservatives of those high tax states, Welcome to the Republic of Texas.
  
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Twinspeedr
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 11:28am
And how many people work for his company? Thousands, I’m sure. How long do you think those jobs would be around if you put Mr. Frenchy-French laborer in charge of it? First of all there aren’t actually that many of these “rich” people out there, and the vast majority of them are rich because they have skills or drive (and yes, connections) that most other people don’t have. Fair? Yes and No. But it doesn’t change the fact that these people end up becoming the foundation that ultimately enables a country to feed and clothe itself. If you remove them from the equation, you hurt the entire everyone.

Are there useless Rich People? YES. Could France’s sovereign debt crisis be solved even if you took every penny that all of the “rich” people in France possess? NO. Get over it.

Get a clue France, you’re just living the insanity of class warfare. This never ends well, read your history.

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SamIamTwo
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 11:21am
There are not that many wealthy that live in France. They are leaving the nation as we type…soon the so called rich will be the poor.

It’s like seeking waldo…finding the lowest common denominator. Find a friendly nation who is willing to take a reasonable 35% or so tax on the wealthy…it’s not like the so called poor are being taxed…entitlement society will ruin a nation.

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scootervanneuter
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 11:08am
Note to French leaders: Stupid socialist regimes throughout history have repeatedly encountered the same predictable results when penalizing the successful – wealthy people are smart people who aren’t just going to give away their hard-earned money. They will go elsewhere where they (and their money) are appreciated.
In the end your tax increase nets far less revenues. Idiots.

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floridareader
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 11:06am
True, France helped pilgrims to fight British when coming to America back in the 1600′s. But in recent history and with the election of the new socialist president, France is going down the drainage.
No matter the language they speak socialists are ignorant: don’t the realize that is because of the wealthy that France and Germany are keeping the Euro alive?

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bobefann
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 11:05am
Ah yes. Tax the rich and the rich will leave. That is a very elementary idea and to believe it will work is absurd at best. Nothing will stop the rich from leaving. You want to punish the job makers, then you will have no jobs.

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- 762x51
  Posted on September 10, 2012 at 6:11pm
  They can turn their country into a prison like Russia and China are under Communist domination. Why do think those countries are like that?
  
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GlennaBeckski
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 11:05am
No sense in unpacking.. just a matter of time before the NWO fatcat pickpockets catch up to us all.

You probably knew that tho right Bernie?

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bikerdogred1
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 11:03am
All rich people leave France now and show France they are right.Rich people are the problem of France and who are they going to blame when there is no money2+2=4/in France it could be a big 0

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AnAmericanToo
Posted on September 10, 2012 at 10:57am
Doesn’t Madoona live in France? And Brad Pitt and his live in girlfriend Angelina Jolie, aren’t they also living in France? Wonder if they will be taxed at the French rate on their income?

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