Tens of thousands of French people have taken to the streets to express their anger over the death of 17-year-old Nahel, a teenager of Algerian origin, who was shot dead by police during a traffic stop last Tuesday.
A protest demanding peace and independence for Algeria in the past. Photo: AFP
Clashes between protesters, mostly young people, and police have raised questions about the level of violence, as well as links to racism and France's colonial past.
French President Emmanuel Macron called Nahel's killing "inexcusable." Crystal Fleming, a sociology professor at Stony Brook University in New York, called it racist.
She added that the protests and riots were "people's response to French racism linked to colonialism".
France still haunted by colonial past
France was one of Europe's greatest colonial powers. From the 16th century until the 1970s, its leaders believed they had a "civilizing mission" to fulfill, leading to the colonization and domination of many colonies around the world.
While the French Revolution of 1789 promised "liberty, equality, and fraternity" to all French men (excluding women) on the French mainland, these rights did not apply to the colonies.
In particular, France's role in Algeria remains a highly sensitive subject. The North African country was first colonized in 1830 and later annexed by France. When Algeria declared independence, a brutal war claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, mostly Algerians, and eventually led to the end of French rule in 1962.
At the same time, France was also forced to relinquish control of its other colonies, largely due to the success of independence movements. However, some overseas territories remain dependent on France today. The country has maintained economic, political, and military influence in its former colonies, mainly in the African continent, by supporting politicians.
Current French President Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged his country's colonial past as a "historic crime". He has vowed to return stolen artifacts and set up commissions to investigate France's role in Algeria and the genocide in Rwanda.
But critics say that does not go far enough. Many say France should take full responsibility for its past, such as acknowledging the crimes committed during its colonial period.
However, Mr Macron has said he has no intention of "asking for forgiveness" over his country's role in Algeria "because that would break all ties".
Many say colonialism has its positives. In 2017, far-right politician Marine Le Pen said that French colonization “brought a lot of good” to former colonies. She is an official candidate to run against Mr Macron for the Elysee in 2017 and 2022.
Racism
France also does not publish any population data surveys regarding the races living in the country.
“There is systemic racism in the French police,” said Rokhaya Diallo, one of France’s most prominent racial equality activists. “The French government has repeatedly denied these allegations.”
According to a study by the country's human rights ombudsman, young black or Arab men are 20 times more likely to be stopped by French police than white men. Most of these young men come from former French colonies and live in the suburbs of major cities such as Paris, Marseille or Lyon.
These suburbs were created in the mid-19th century, when Napoleon III commissioned city planner Georges-Eugene Haussmann to create a new Paris with wider streets and a better sewage system.
Poor people were pushed out to the suburbs. After World War II, high-rise buildings were built to accommodate economic growth and attract people to these areas.
Historically, these suburbs have been neglected by the French government. Former President Nicolas Sarkozy, when he was Interior Minister, proposed in 2005 that the suburbs be cleaned with high-pressure washers.
Since then, programs have been set up, talks have been held, but not much has changed.
Hoang Ton (according to DW)
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