Coin Press - French group gets death threats over renaming of 'Negresse' district

In February, a court ruled that authorities in the city must rename the district and one of the streets, possibly named after a black woman, following a case brought by activists who argued it was an outdated legacy of colonialism.

La Negresse is the feminine version of the French word for negro, translating into English as "negro woman".

Karfa Diallo, director of the Memoires et Partages (Memories and Sharing) association that fights legacies of slavery and colonialism, said the group's members had become the target of death threats and cyberbullying.

"We are now the target of an extremely violent campaign," he told AFP.

There are hundreds of "hateful" comments on social networks as well as "explicit threats" sent by email, Diallo said, adding that their families have been targeted, too.

One of the messages reported to the police reads: "There will be blood. I'm going to ruin your life. I've got your licence plates, your addresses."

Both the association and Diallo, who is also an elected representative of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional council, filed a complaint with police on Tuesday.

The district is believed to be named after a black woman, possibly a former slave, who worked at an inn there in the 19th century.

Activists say the moniker is associated with a "crime against humanity that saw millions of Africans deported to work as slaves on colonial plantations".

After a long legal battle, a court sided with the association in February, saying the term could be perceived as "offensive".

Pending a legal challenge to the ruling, the municipality is to convene its council in May to change the name of the street.

In comments to regional newspaper Sud Ouest, the mayor of Biarritz, Maider Arosteguy, condemned the threats.

"All deviant behaviour (cyberbullying, threats) is unacceptable and reprehensible," she said. "It poisons public debate."

L.K.Baumgartner--CPN