What does it mean to be French?

That's the thorny question the government is putting to its people in what's being billed as a "Great Debate" _ set against a backdrop of smoldering unrest in immigrant-heavy suburbs, a movement to ban full Muslim veils, and questions over whether France's essential identity is vanishing in a complex world.

The question may seem straightforward but it is laden with paradox.

France is a country that has one of the highest proportions of immigrants in Europe and endures recurrent tensions over religion _ yet champions the notion of a consensual "Frenchness," anchored in secularism.

The country prides itself on enshrining liberty, equality, fraternity _ yet faces constant claims of injustice, mainly from Arab and black minorities, many of them French citizens, which saw thousands of their youths rampage through housing projects in 2005.

"We're in a real denial of reality. Our world is cracking silently," said Jean-Pierre Door, a mayor who spoke Wednesday at the first debate hosted at the Immigration Ministry. He said the dialogue is breaking long-held taboos.

This government-ordered soul-searching over the French identity is an effort to clarify and reaffirm the nation's values, which President Nicolas Sarkozy says have been "forgotten and sometimes denied."

All French citizens are in principle invited to participate in the series of meetings organized by the government across the country, lasting through Jan. 31.

France's immigration minister, Eric Besson, launched the Great Debate earlier this month with a Web site where citizens can write about what they think it means to be French. More than 32,000 contributions were posted in the first two weeks, according to the ministry.

Wednesday's debate gathered about 60 people from in and around Montargis south of Paris, officials, business leaders, members of associations, teachers and parents, in a cramped meeting room.

A historic town known to Joan of Arc and King Francois I, Montargis now welcomes immigrants from the Middle East, Africa and beyond.

The crowd Wednesday, though, was overwhelmingly white.

Jean-Noel Cardoux, a local leader of the Loiret region where Montargis is located, said France's common values are being undermined.

"It's the consequence of uncontrolled immigration for 25 years. We shouldn't hide this," he said. He alluded to people of Muslim origin, saying they are "refuting our identity."

Marcel Heinrich, 86, said immigrants "arrive here like in a conquered country."

"It's possible that they could get the upper hand in France ... sometimes we're afraid," he said.