“We confirm that the foreign ministry has launched a procedure to strip this person of the medal of honour,” a deputy spokesperson told reporters on Monday.
“This decision reflects the ministry’s will to fight racism, anti-Semitism and discrimination,” the spokesperson added.
The captain in France’s gendarmerie, a police force with military grades, is accused of comparing people from Guiana to “howling monkeys”.
During a field trip to the French overseas department in April 2018, the gendarme was overheard saying: “What an exceptional fauna all these howling monkeys are, throwing as many swear words as stones to mark their territory,” before insinuating that locals in Guiana spent day and night drinking.
‘Shocking’
A month after the incident, then Interior Minister Gérard Collomb denounced what he said were “inadmissible” and “shocking” remarks.
A disciplinary procedure was swiftly launched against the gendarme.
The foreign affairs medal, which rewards exceptional services performed in France or abroad, was awarded to him in February 2018 for training activities in Iraq, the ministry said.
Untimely decoration
The department said it had initiated proceedings to strip the officer of his medal as soon as it became aware of the facts.
However, in an embarrassing turn, a decree was signed by Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in May 2018 confirming the gendarme's decoration, just days into the disciplinary procedure.
The current procedure comes as France faces a wave of anti-racism protests sparked by the death of unarmed black man George Floyd in the US.
