France
French ministers and bankers warn against Eric Cantona protest
French ministers and bankers have warned that an appeal by Eric Cantona, the former Manchester United star, for citizens to withdraw all their money from banks could propel France into economic chaos.
The footballer-turned actor star raised eyebrows and in some cases a laugh when he first made the suggestion in October, just as millions took to the streets against a pension bill in protests that failed to stop the reform.
But with three days to go before the great bank pullout and with hundreds of thousands having viewed the online call of "King Eric" - his football nickname - the "joke" is wearing thin for France's government and top banks.
François Baroin, the budget minister yesterday panned Eric Le Rouge's revolutionary bank run as more "tragic" than comic, while Christine Lagarde, the finance minister advised him to stick to what he does best. "Each to their own. He is a magnificent footballer, but I'm not sure we need to pay heed to all his suggestions," she said.
Baudoin Prot, CEO of BNP Paribas, France's largest bank, slammed the call as "totally irresponsible".
"It goes completely against anything that could assure the functioning of the economy," he said. Besides, he added, French banks played no part in starting the 2008 financial crisis.
Jean-François Sammarcelli, deputy director general of Société Général, France's second bank, said: "Withdrawing one's money from banks is extremely dangerous for oneself and would be dramatic for the entire system."
Mr Cantona outlined his bank crash plan in a video interview with the regional French newspaper, Presse Océan.
"What is the system?" asks the man famous for his philosophical asides. "It revolves around the banks; the system is built on the power of the banks, so it can be destroyed through the banks."
"The three million people in the street, they go to the bank, withdraw their money, and the banks collapse...That's a real threat, there's a real revolution," he said in the clip.
It would be a quick, painless blow, he claimed – unlike his famous kung-fu kick against a Crystal Palace fan.
"No weapons, no blood, nothing at all. It's not complicated. Then we'll be listened to in a different way," said the ex-player in a bright red jumper.
Cantona's appeal inspired Geraldine Feuillien and Yann Sarfati, a Belgian screenwriter and French director to create the website bankrun2010.com. The site is spearheading a call for a massive coordinated withdrawal of money from banks on 7 December.
They have launched a Facebook site in France, where 32,000 people had signed up to the cause and a further 25,000 say they might withdraw their money.
Another 24 countries, including Britain, are involved.
"What Eric Cantona said, I had been thinking for a while," said Miss Feuillien, whose apolitical approach was, she claimed, designed to smash a "corrupt, criminal and deadly system".
Some financial experts warned that given public nervousness about banks, the move could have catastrophic effects. "Given the current climate of angst, a queue in front of a bank is sufficient to set off a sprial. We're playing with dynamite," said Marc Fiorentino, a financial markets specialist.
Even France's most radical left-wingers found Cantona's bank run a little too revolutionary.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, the firebrand leader of The Party of the Left said: "I don't know if we would gain much by a general and instant collapse of the system. I approach things differently, with elections, with programmes."
There was no sign of Mr Cantona backing down yesterday. He said: "On December 7, I'll be at the bank."
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