Virtually reality

Above: The reality of Sarkozy’s France?
Picture: from a popular email doing the rounds in France. This banner outside Sarkozy’s party headquarters reads: “Let's imagine the France of tomorrow.”

In April the headquarters of French far-right presidential candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen were destroyed.

Staff at the embassy who were lightly armed with push guns – that repel aggressors through the air – were overrun by assailants carrying grenade launchers, loaded with explosive pink pigs.

A fantasy world? Yes, but true all the same.

The battle took place in the cyber realm of Second Life and is a mark of just how hi-tec the French presidential race has become.

All four of the major hopefuls (Le Pen, Sarkozy, Royal and Bayrou) have campaign offices in this virtual world, each one built to reflect the candidate’s characteristics.

Royal’s is made out of wood reflecting her green credentials. And Bayrou’s underlines his countryside roots by including a farm complete with cows and a tractor and horse riding activists wearing “Sexy Centralist” T-shirts.

Clinton and Obama have also set up in offices in Second Life alongside the BBC, Reuters and a Swedish Embassy.

The mind boggles.

All hail the Croydonian, which originally brought us this story a few weeks ago.

Read the original Washington Post article.