Podcast: Paris attacks verdict, quidditch in France, Haiti's 'independence debt'

Reflecting on the end of the trial of those involved in the 2015 Paris attacks; developing quidditch in France, where some are wary of a sport involving a broom between the legs. And the day that Haiti was forced to pay its former slave masters for its independence.

The trial of the 20 men involved in the 2015 terror attacks in Paris, which left 130 people dead, ended this week after nearly ten months. 19 of the 20 defendents were found guilty of all terrorism-related charges. Salah Abdeslam, the only surviving member of the commando that carried out the attacks, was sentenced to a whole-life term of 30 years in prison. RFI's Michael Fitzpatrick, who has been following the trial since it started in September 2021, talks about how the defendents evolved and what the trial taught him about the rule of law in France. (Listen @2'40'')

Quidditch, the fictional game featured in the Harry Potter books, has developed into a real life sport played in 40 countries. While France has only a few hundred players in a dozen or so teams, the national team won the IQA European Games title in 2019 and will be heading back to defend it in Ireland at the end of July. At a recent practice session, Team France members talk about their love of the game – the only gender-mixed contact sport – and why the broom is an essential ingredient. (Listen @17'45'')

On 11 July 1825, Haiti agreed to pay 150-million gold francs to France to avoid going to war with its former colonial ruler. The payment was deemed necessary to compensate slave owners for losing their 'property' after the Haitian revolution. The country is still suffering from the results of this massive independence debt. (Listen @12'15'')

This episode was mixed by Cecile Pompeani.
Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, iTunes (link here), Spotify (link here), Google podcasts (link here), or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).