The lingering pain of racism

France is not the only place experiencing the pain of racism and the case of the teenager Nahel is just the straw that broke the camel's back of resentment among the working class, who are already marginalized.

French police patrol in Paris on July 5. (Source: AP)

A wave of protests in France following the police shooting of a black teenager has rocked the country for the first week of July. But police brutality is not the main reason the protests quickly turned into riots. The underlying cause of this loss of control is a painful truth: racism.

Worse, this is not just a French or European problem, but a major challenge to human rights around the world, requiring governments to have the right approach, strong commitments and strong solutions.

The Pain of France

On June 29, Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old Algerian, was shot dead by French police for refusing to stop for a traffic check. This was not the first time someone had died due to police violence, nor was it the first time the French took to the streets to express their outrage and demand justice for the victims.

But this is the first time that protests have quickly turned into riots, arson and looting in a short time, on a larger scale and with more danger. Nothing seems safe from the fury of the agitated crowd, from supermarkets, shops, post offices to libraries, schools, police stations and even city halls. The Association of French Mayors said the violence targeted “symbols of the Republic”, causing unprecedented damage.

Some have argued that this is a sequel to the events that shocked France in 2005 for similar reasons. Two black teenagers, Zyed Benna and Bouna Traore, were electrocuted to death while fleeing a police chase. The incident plunged the “suburbs” – the home of France’s immigrant population – into riots for three weeks. This event is considered a milestone marking the time when marginalized and discriminated communities of color in France began to speak out more loudly for their rights to be treated fairly.

It has been 17 years, but the Nahel incident has brought the “ghost” of the 2005 riots back to haunt France many times over. This shows that the racial gap has barely improved and the pain of racism has still smoldered in the heart of France for decades.

France has always declared itself a “colorblind” republic, meaning that the government does not conduct a census or collect any other data regarding the race of its citizens. Accordingly, no French person is judged based on their religion or the color of their skin. France insists that all citizens are French and that the government must resolutely avoid any form of discrimination.

That is the “philosophy” that France pursues, but the reality is very different. According to Le Monde , young people from the “suburbs” always have a harder time than their white friends to find a suitable job. The French National Institute for Urban Policy Research published a report showing that the chances of a “suburban” resident successfully applying for a job are 22% lower than those living in big cities.

Candidates with Arab names receive 25% less positive feedback than candidates with French names. Even when they are hired, they are less likely to be treated on par with their white counterparts in terms of pay, benefits, and advancement opportunities. Research by the French Human Rights Agency shows that young black or Arab men are 20 times more likely to be stopped by police than other groups.

According to a February 2023 report by the French Black Association, 91% of black people in the country said they had been victims of racism. Discriminatory acts were most common in public places (41%) and the workplace (31%). Reasons for the black community's exclusion included religious differences, the wealth gap, and high unemployment and crime rates.

Because they are not given the opportunity to integrate, they always feel inferior and lost in their own country. Because they are not given opportunities, they almost cannot escape poverty. That is also the reason why they are easily drawn into illegal activities. Committing more crimes leads to discrimination, and the more discrimination and isolation, the more likely they are to commit crimes. This vicious cycle makes the situation of racial discrimination deeper and deeper with no way out.

The recent insecurity is a consequence of the long-standing division and rift in French society. Compared to previous decades, the nature of the protests has changed. Today, not only people of color, immigrants, and low-income people are speaking out for equal rights for their communities, but also many people of French origin, white people, and intellectuals.

According to reports, most of the rioting was committed by 14-18 year olds. Surely the authorities in Paris do not want future generations of France to grow up with the rage and hatred caused by racism.

France is not the only place experiencing the pain of racism and the case of the teenager Nahel is just the straw that broke the camel's back of resentment among the marginalized working class.

Demanding justice for Nahel or any other victim of police violence means demanding justice for the vulnerable and the marginalized. Demanding justice for the “suburbs” is also demanding justice for other vulnerable groups in France, in Europe and around the world.

France is not alone in the sufferings of racism, and the case of the teenager Nahel is just the straw that broke the camel’s back of the resentment of the marginalized working class. Seeking justice for Nahel or any other victim of police violence means seeking justice for the vulnerable and the marginalized. Seeking justice for the “suburbs” is also seeking justice for other vulnerable groups in France, in Europe and around the world.

Protest against racism in Geneva, Switzerland. (Source: AFP)

Looking for a comprehensive solution

The French government was quick to respond to the police shooting of young black man Nahel, but stopped short of acknowledging that racism was involved. President Emmanuel Macron called the officer’s actions “inexplicable and indefensible.”

The Elysee Palace stressed that this was an “individual act” that did not represent the spirit of the French police. Meanwhile, the French Foreign Ministry affirmed that “any accusations of racism or systemic discrimination by the police in France are completely unfounded.”

However, sociologists do not consider Nahel’s case to be “inexplicable” as the French President has suggested, but rather racism. Prejudice against “suburban” people is an undeniable reality in France.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also issued a statement saying that “it is time for France to seriously address the deep-rooted problems of racism and discrimination in law enforcement.”

The officer who shot Nahel has been charged with attempted murder, although French police officials have defended him, saying his colleague was only doing his job. But no matter how harsh the sentence, it is unlikely to solve the thorny and persistent problems that divide French society.

According to researcher Pavel Timofeyev - Director of the Department of European Political Studies at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the problem does not lie in the law enforcement mechanism of the French police, but in the relationship between them and minority communities such as immigrants, people of color, Muslims, etc.

Of course, differences in origin, culture, ethnicity, and religion are barriers. But the reality is that the French government has not really created conditions to help the “suburban” community integrate into society. Paris has also shown indifference by not having drastic policies to remove prejudices against people of immigrant origin.

First of all, France needs to openly acknowledge the existence of racism in the country. Only by clearly recognizing the security and social risks that racism can cause can the French government take the right steps to narrow the gap between communities. For the people of the “suburbs”, recognition is extremely important and is the first step towards becoming part of French society.

Racism is not only a problem in France but also in Europe. The recent massive protests and riots in France have quickly spread to some countries in the region such as Belgium and Switzerland.

In Belgium, police arrested more than 60 people in protests that followed calls on social media to "act like in France".

Meanwhile, the situation in Lausanne, Switzerland, turned more violent as protesters attacked shops and police, showing that racial resentment exists not only in France but across Europe, where immigration remains a contentious issue.

Worryingly, some European governments have used the riots as an excuse to tighten immigration policies, as the European Union (EU) hopes for a deal on distributing asylum seekers among its 27 member states.

Far-right groups across Europe see migrants as a source of insecurity and do not want to see what happened on the streets of France repeated in their own countries. This could lead to a less positive response to the migration situation and further deepen the divide between those of immigrant origin and host societies.

There is no one-size-fits-all formula for dealing with racism, but it is certainly not something governments can ignore. Ignoring the problem will only make it worse and harder to address.

Changing deeply ingrained attitudes in society is difficult, but not impossible. Only when governments are clear that skin color or religion does not define a person can they put in place appropriate policies to ensure that all citizens enjoy equal rights.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/noi-dau-dai-dang-tu-phan-biet-chung-toc-238443.html