PARIS (AP) — France’s longstanding ideals of “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” have come into question as shocking video footage of a police officer’s fatal shooting of a 17-year-old delivery driver of North African descent during a routine traffic stop has caused outrage among the Black and brown communities.
These events have exposed a stark contrast between the country’s cherished values and the reality experienced by marginalized individuals.
As news of the tragic incident spread, many individuals couldn’t help but think that the victim, Nahel, could easily have been them, their children, or their friends. The immediate response to this deep-seated fear was an outburst of anger and a desire for revenge, symbolized by the fires that illuminated the night sky over Nanterre, the Paris suburb where Nahel lost his life in a fatal altercation.
The suburb, characterized by its disadvantaged housing projects, stark wealth disparities, and diverse population influenced by France’s colonial past, experienced the rapid escalation of collective fury.
Over the course of six nights, unrest spread throughout France, with over 200 cities and towns reporting incidents of arson attacks, vehicle fires, clashes with police, looting, and other acts of mayhem.
The violence was not limited to specific regions, as it unfolded from northern blue-collar ports to southern towns by the Pyrenees, from former mining areas facing deindustrialization to Nantes and La Rochelle on the western Atlantic coast, which were once at the heart of the French slave trade.
With over 3,400 arrests made and indications that the violence is subsiding, France finds itself once again at a critical juncture. This reckoning recalls previous occasions when riots erupted in disadvantaged, racially diverse neighborhoods in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s.
The uncomfortable and persistent question at the core of this turmoil remains unchanged: What systemic issues hinder France from fulfilling its promise of equality and fraternity for all, particularly among non-white populations?
It is a question that forces the nation to confront its failings and consider why certain segments of society continue to struggle to fully participate in the country’s socio-political fabric.
THE PROBLEMS ARE BOTH OLD AND NEW
Various factors, some longstanding and others more recent, are being attributed to the unrest, but there is ongoing debate and disagreement over their significance. Some of these factors include racism within the police force and French society at large, exacerbated poverty due to increased costs associated with the war in Ukraine, decades of neglect in urban areas, breakdowns in family structures and parental authority, and the broader impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among those involved in the acts of violence were young teenagers who had experienced disruptions to their education due to lockdowns and school closures as a result of the pandemic. These individuals played a role in the destruction, theft, and confrontations with law enforcement, often sharing their participation and reveling in the chaos through social media platforms.
Yazid Kherfi, who dedicates his time to visiting various housing projects and guiding young people away from a path of crime and imprisonment, perceives the recent violence as a desperate outcry from a generation that feels neglected and abandoned.
His minivan bears a quote from Martin Luther King, which emphasizes the importance of unity, yet Kherfi frequently encounters young individuals who believe they are targeted by the police based on their race.
According to Kherfi, the police force is inadequately trained to operate in challenging neighborhoods and there are instances of racism and violence among some officers.
While he acknowledges that not all police officers fall into this category, there is still a significant number who do. He highlights the disproportionate targeting of Black and Arab individuals compared to their white counterparts.
Kherfi expresses his disappointment, stating that France is far from achieving the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity. He believes that the hardships faced by the marginalized communities have persisted for over four decades.
Consequently, riots tend to erupt whenever a young person dies as a result of a police intervention, and the police rarely hold themselves accountable.
French government officials, from President Emmanuel Macron downwards, swiftly condemned the actions of the officer involved, who is currently in custody facing a preliminary charge of voluntary homicide.
Macron referred to the shooting as “inexplicable and inexcusable.” The officer’s lawyer argues that his client, fearing being dragged and crushed when the vehicle started moving again, acted out of self-defense.
HOW TO TACKLE RACISM WHEN IT CAN’T BE MEASURED?
Assessing the extent of racism and racial inequality in France is challenging due to the country’s policy of color blindness, which imposes limitations on data collection regarding race and ethnicity.
Critics argue that this approach has led the state to turn a blind eye to discrimination. In fact, the French census does not include any questions related to race or ethnicity.
However, the glaring inequalities in society cannot be ignored. In 2020, the government’s statistics agency revealed that death rates among immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa were twice as high in France and tripled in the Paris region during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This acknowledgment highlights the virus’s disproportionate impact on Black immigrants and other marginalized minority groups. Other research has also shed light on racism in workplaces and hiring practices.
Abel Boyi, the leader of a group called “All Unique, All United,” which aims to foster reconciliation between young people and France with its republican values, emphasizes that warning signs of discrimination have been present for over four decades. Boyi, who is Black, criticizes the state’s colorblindness as a form of hypocrisy.
He frequently encounters young people of color, as well as white individuals from disadvantaged neighborhoods, who apply for numerous jobs without success due to foreign-sounding family names or unfavorable addresses.
Unfortunately, Boyi observes that when there is injustice, a radical fringe sometimes resorts to violence. He witnessed young individuals, ranging from 12 to 19 years old, burning cars, throwing stones at police officers, and targeting buses during the late hours of the night. While acknowledging the legitimacy of their anger, Boyi believes that their methods are misguided and condemns these actions as terrible.
THE VISUALS ADDED FUEL TO THE FLAMES
The circulation of the video depicting Nahel’s death can help explain the rapid spread and sudden intensity of the violence that followed. Similar to the impact of George Floyd’s killing in the United States, these images led some individuals to question whether instances of police abuse go unpunished when they are not captured on camera.
Graffiti sprayed on walls in Nanterre expressed the sentiment that Nahel would have been just another statistic if it weren’t for the video evidence.
Police officer Walid Hrar, who works in disadvantaged neighborhoods, disagrees with the notion that the relationship between France’s law enforcement and these communities is completely broken, despite the riots suggesting otherwise
. He leads a volunteer group called The Guardians of Fraternity, where officers engage with local youths to foster understanding and demonstrate that behind the uniform, they are individuals. Hrar acknowledges that these discussions can be difficult and intense at times.
Hrar, who is of Moroccan descent and practices Islam, highlights that the police force has undergone significant changes and become more diverse since he joined. This suggests progress in addressing issues of representation within the police ranks.
Walid Hrar’s career has been primarily focused on Paris’ northern suburbs, the very same areas where riots broke out in 2005. These riots were sparked by the tragic deaths of 15-year-old Bouna Traoré and 17-year-old Zyed Benna, who were electrocuted while seeking refuge from the police in a power substation in Clichy-sous-Bois.
According to Hrar, one notable difference between the previous generation of rioters and the current one is the seemingly limitless extent to which the new generation is willing to go in terms of causing destruction. Schools, town halls, police stations, and other symbols of authority have all become targets.
Hrar acknowledges that there are individuals for whom the breakdown in relations with authority figures is complete. He recognizes that there is a significant amount of groundwork that needs to be done to address these profound divisions and restore some semblance of understanding and trust.
Another significant difference lies in the influence of social networks. This current generation, raised on platforms like TikTok and Snapchat, not only glorifies mayhem through short videos but also, according to the government, utilizes these networks for organization and coordination.
Memes and hashtags related to looting quickly overshadowed calls for justice for Nahel. President Macron observed that some rioters seemed to be reenacting the influence of video games on their behavior.
All these factors contribute to a toxic and dangerous situation, exposing deep fractures within a country that still grapples with its violent colonial past and entrenched discrimination and inequalities that cannot be easily resolved.
The challenge that France faces in the 21st century, as expressed by Boyi, is how to weave together the multitude of histories and create a common narrative that encompasses everyone, regardless of their skin color or origin. This challenge requires a comprehensive and inclusive approach to address the deep-rooted issues that plague the nation.