Martine Billard
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Martine Billard (born Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, 1952-10-07) is a French politician and députée.
Martine Billard entered politics in May 1968 with the "comité d'action lycéen". She studied economics at Paris II-Assas University, and milited against far-right movements, which were especially active there.
In the 1970s, she joined feminists and milited for the right to abortion, and against dictatorships in Latin America, with the exception of Cuba.
After graduating in economics, she had several small jobs and milited with far-left movements, against nuclear energy and in favor of Palstine against Zionism in the 80s.
She joined Les Verts ("the Greens"), the French ecologist party, in 1993. Between 1995 and 2001, she held the position of representant of the 20th arrondissement at the City Council of Paris. Between 1996 and 1997, she was spokesman of the Verts in Paris.
In 1999 and 2000, she was elected at the National Council of the Verts and became the national spokesman of the party, and a member of the executive council of the Verts for economic and social matters.
In 2001, she was a candidate in the elections in the 1st arrondissement and defeated by a large margin.
As a candidate of the Gauche unie ("United Left-wing"), she was elected on the 16th of June 2002 for the XIIth term (2002-2007) in the 1st) circonscription of Paris , defeating Jean-François Legaret, major of the 1st arrondissement (UMP). Her victory came as a surprise since she was elected in one of the wealthiest circonscriptions of Paris, usually a stronghold of the Right-wing. As a matter of fact, she was defeated by a large margin in the 1st and 4th arrondissement, which have a conservative or liberal majority, but compensated with the left-wing leaning middle classes of the 2nd and 3rd arrondissements (the so-called "bourgeois bohemian").
In April 2005, she condemned, as "twin brothers" within the Verts the "small group of hysterics of the Arab cause" and the Hysterics of the Jewish Defence League".
During the referendum about the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, she advocated opposing the Treaty, against the position of her party. Her circonscription eventually voted massively in favour of the Treaty.
In 2005 and 2006, she worked on the DADVSI law project, trying to influence it toward more friendliness for Internet users.
