The American embassy in Paris, France, has reportedly sent out a letter to dozens of French companies with US government contracts, asking them to comply with US President Donald Trump’s ban of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programmes.
The ban is an executive order that Trump signed on his first day back in the White Office, calling the DEI practices (which call for fair treatment of previously disadvantaged groups) “discriminatory” .
The letters were sent to French companies currently doing business with the USA, or seeking to do so, asking them to sign on and comply with the ban. Recipient companies were asked to fill in and return a questionnaire certifying that they do not engage in DEI practices. They have five days to do so, or to provide “detailed” reasons why they are not complying.
Unsurprisingly, in a country where liberty, equality and fraternity (liberté, égalité, fraternité) are the national motto, the French have been outraged by the request, with the trade ministry describing the “US interference in French companies’ inclusion policies” as “unacceptable”.
The ministry said: “France and Europe will defend their companies, their consumers, but also their values.”
According to the BBC, the letter was sent from the American embassy and says it “applies to all suppliers and service providers of the US government, regardless of their nationality and the country in which they operate”.
France24 reports that the US Embassy letterhead was not used, which means “it’s not an official communication, much less a diplomatic one” according to a Paris-based US lawyer who spoke to AFP.
Le Monde pointed out that should French companies comply with the US, they would be breaking a law in France that requires companies with over 1,000 employees to ensure at least 30% of their executives are women.
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