The fight to save, not shut, a McDonald's in France

MARSEILLE - For decades, McDonald's was the brand French people loved to hate.

From the 1970s it was accused of being the exporter of "mal bouffe" ("bad food") to the land of fine dining, blamed for introducing millions of French people to high-calorie US fast-food.

It was also resisted as a symbol of US economic and cultural imperialism, particularly by left wingers, in a country that remains suspicious of globalization - and more eager than most to defend its own language and culture.