Religious Riots in France :Looking into the religious prism
Religious riots have exposed serious faultlines in the society.This article looks into different facets of the social fabric of French society.
A French police officer fatally shot 17-year-old Nahel M, of North African descent, during a traffic stop on June[1]Surprisingly, this is not the first time a French Police officer has shot a person during a traffic stop. In the past 18 months, French police have shot dead 17 people during traffic stops such as that which sparked the latest riots.[2]However, the difference between the previous shooting and the recent shooting is the video footage captured which shows a French police officer shooting at Nahel during a traffic stop while he was in the driving seat of the car. This incident would have been just a statistic without the video footage. On June 28, a peaceful “White March’’ protest took place in Nahel’s hometown of Nanterre, but tensions escalated as demonstrations spread to other cities. France witnessed violence across the country despite authorities detaining the police officer on charges of voluntary homicide.[3]This incident gave France immigrants a chance to vent their anger and unhappiness toward the French system, which they had in themselves for a long time due to few job and education opportunities for them. This unveiled the on-ground reality of “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.” The lofty ideals France has long aspired to are embossed on coins and carved above school doors across the land.[4]
France witnessed widespread riots for five consecutive nights, resulting in over 3,000 arrests nationwide. In response to the riots, mayors of affected cities organized rallies at town halls to condemn the violence, looting, and destruction of infrastructure.[5]The situation was so bad that, at one point, the world saw the possibility of France going under a state of emergency, similar to 2005. In 2005, two French youths of Malian and Tunisian descent were electrocuted as they fled the police, leading to violence and a declaration of a “state of emergency” for three months. The riots have shocked Europe; thus, Europe's right-wing anti-immigrant policy has gained more legitimacy in front of the masses.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
Historically, France has always been welcoming to immigrants. As per a report published by the Migration Policy Institute, a US-based think tank, between 1921 and 1931, France’s immigrant population increased from 1.4 million to 2.7 million.[6]Soon due to labor shortages and to undo the damage done by fascism in France, France welcomed more immigrants after world war 2. Former colonies in North Africa were a significant source of immigration over the latter half of the 20th century, representing 26 percent of the foreign-born population in France in 1975.[7]However, due to the oil crisis, which led to unemployment and inflation, there was a change in immigration policy as there was no longer a need for labor.
France's demography has changed a lot in the last decades. Today, seven million immigrants are in this country, which is around 10 percent of the population.[8]France’s history and its colonial legacy have contributed to the presence of deep-rooted institutional racism within its structures.[9]There is an uneven relationship between France and its former colonies. Due to the controversial "colonial tax," France is blamed for neo-colonialism in the 21st century. The CFA was split into two currency zones in 1945.[10]Eight countries in West Africa made one monetary fund, and six countries in Central Africa made another monetary union. All of these countries are France's former colonies. These countries use the CFA franc as their currency. They must store 50 percent of their reserves with a French central bank. The CFA franc is pegged to the euro. Former colonies are paying their colonizer.[11]
CFA African nations get lower interest rates than Eurozone standards. France decides the interest rate on the African countries' CFA reserves. Thus, France is blamed as a neo-colonizer exploiting its former colonies' resources.
France has disadvantages for immigrants, as data shows that most immigrants belong to underprivileged neighborhoods, which is much higher than in other Western countries. In France, unemployment is seven percent among those born in France but 12 percent for immigrants, rising past 17 percent among those who arrived in the last ten years.[12]Compared to the other developed countries, the data on the disparity between immigrants and non-immigrants proves France’s race-blind approach is false. In 2021, US unemployment was 5.5 percent for those born in the country and 5.6 percent for those born overseas. Black and white employment rates are now neck and neck.[13] Conversely, Twenty-eight percent of recent French immigrants are now in the lowest tenth of earners, compared to just eight percent of non-immigrants. In contrast, in the UK, the figure is ten percent regardless of country of birth.[14]This shows how wide there is a difference between immigrants and non-immigrants. These figures also offer that most immigrants from underprivileged backgrounds did not have a stake in society. That is why so many immigrants violently protested, where shops were looted, and public property was destroyed. These riots and protests are not driven in solidarity with Nehal's death, but rioters use this saddening event as a catalyst to promote their ulterior motives.[15]
REASONS FOR THE PROTEST:
There can be various reasons for the protests, among which there are some historical and evident factors but some underlying logic. The direct cause, which is transparent to everyone, is that a police officer shot and killed Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old boy driving away from a traffic stop.[16] Thus, the hometown of Nahel Merzouk Nanterre served as the epicenter of the unrest, which then spread to north, central, and southwest regions.[17]
However, there is an underlying factor of the ethnicity of Nahel Merzouk, who was a French citizen but had Algerian and Moroccan descent, that caused the protest to be violent and nationwide. Over the years, there has been a history of police shootings in which primary victims were non-whites.
The Guardian noted that France had recorded 13 such shootings last year, three in 2021 and two in 2020.[18]Thus, this incident, where there was clear video footage of a police officer firing at Nahel Merzouk, sparked anger buildup among the Arabs and Blacks due to police brutality and injustice.
Other than this evident factor, this protest may also result from the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict, which caused unemployment and inflation. During a difficult time in France, the first to be targeted were the immigrants, mostly non-whites. This is evident in the 1973 oil crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic. During the Covid-19 pandemic, a study from the national statistics agency revealed that mortality rates rose disproportionately higher for Africa- and Asia-born people in France compared to the France-born populations during the first months of the pandemic. Another study by French economists showed that France's poorest cities in high-infection regions suffered more deaths than wealthier cities.[19] During the 1973 oil crisis, which resulted in a recession, French immigration policy began to shift, and they began to impose more controls over immigrants because they could not absorb all the workers attempting to come over.[20]Assessing this pattern, we can say that due to Ukraine War which resulted in inflation, there is an increase in discrimination against immigrants who are non-whites, which is also evident in data where police shooting cases increased over the years.
France's policing and the "color-blind" policy may have also affected the recent violence. Community policing in France was first introduced as a strategy in the 1990s, aiming to enhance cooperation between the police and local communities to address crime and improve public safety. However, the experiment in community policing was soon deemed a failure. Increased terrorist attacks, the politicization of security issues, and new managerial thinking pushed community-oriented policing off the reform agenda.[21] More importantly, a French law passed in 2017 allows police to shoot when the driver or occupants of a vehicle ignore an order to stop and are deemed to pose a risk to the officer’s life, physical safety, or other people’s. The cops can fire without having to justify their decision on self-defense.[22]The France police are also most heavily armed, with a history of using teargas grenades and rubber projectiles more frequently. The use of force by police and police harassment might have led to poor police-community relations resulting in immigrants feeling alienated and mistrusted.
The France color-blind approach policy was meant to shield minorities to prevent discrimination and sign of universalism. However, this policy has harmed minorities as no data collection based on race exists. As a result, it led to an absence of public policy in France that targets benefits or confers recognition on racial or ethnic groups, despite at least three million, or approximately 5% of the French population, being non-European or non-white.[23]The evidence provided by independent groups like Defender of Rights and human rights watch shows racism in France, signaling that the color-blind approach is just a myth. However, the color-blind policy has prevented France from addressing the racism issues in the daily life of a non-white person or someone with a poor background during police checks, going to health facilities, or applying for a job.
The tradition of France protests and the use of social media may have also led to these protests becoming so violent.
France has a long history of frequent protests, which is also evident in the march this year in January and June against the pension-reform law.
In 2018, former French president Francois Hollande warned his successor Emmanuel Macron: “Don’t forget French royals lost their heads at the guillotine.”[24] This shows how the protests are usual and encouraged in France.
The protest being more violent in 2023 than in 2005 might be due to the majority of protestors from underprivileged backgrounds using the incident as an excuse to fulfill their motive of loot and crime. Secondly, it may be due to the involvement of the younger generation, who are weaned on TikTok and Snapchat, not only celebrating mayhem in short videos but, sometimes, organizing on their networks.[25]
Youngsters' involvement has also been more organized and not limited to suburbs. For example, the more targeted violence — including an attack by a blazing car on the home of a mayor in the south Paris suburbs on Saturday night — is more organized and more obscurely political.[26]
INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE TO THE PROTEST AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE PROTEST:
The protest affected politics and immigration policy. Due to the violent protests in France and all over Europe, the right wing started using these protests as an agenda to show the failure of multiculturalism and promote their anti-immigration policy. The head of the far-right National Rally party, Jordan Bardella, spoke of the "contagion of savageness in our society linked to a completely insane immigration policy."[27]There are other right-wing leaders as well who are siding with the police officer who is under investigation.Jean Messiha, well-known for his radical far-right opinions, launched a funding campaign for the alleged shooter's family.
Surprisingly, people have contributed more than €1.6 million ($1.74 million).[28] This shows that people sympathize with the right-wing ideology across Europe, and they could demand anti-immigration policies and appreciates the rigid approach of the police. Altogether, Marine Le Pen is seen as significant opposition to Macron. Le Pen will gain votes in the future, which may cause trouble for Macron in the next elections or soon enough if required.Mr. Macron's centrist Renaissance party and its close allies had merely 251 seats out of 577 after he won his second five-year term last year with 58% of the votes in a runoff with far-right leader Marine Le Pen.[29]
Across Europe, the right-wing has shown these violent protests as an example to their citizens. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has used the situation to turn public opinion against the proposed migration pact currently being discussed by the European Union.[30]Bijan Djir-Sarai, general secretary of Germany's neoliberal Free Democratic Party, part of the coalition government, even said that "uncontrolled immigration and enormous deficits in integration policies are a threat to domestic security.[31]Apart from Germany and Poland, similar views are shared by other right-wing parties across Europe. The incident has also helped Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban support his narrative. As the Hungarian state broadcaster MTVA has suggested, if even a nation as wealthy as France could fail with its migration policies, then immigration in poorer countries can never work.[32] Lastly, in Italy, where a right-wing party is in power and fascism never died. Nicola Molteni, a deputy interior minister and member of the hard-right League party, has called the unrest in France "evidence of the failure of uncontrolled migration and a warning to the rest of Europe."[33]
Due to this protest, France's image was also damaged in front of the world. Over 5,000 cars were set on fire, over 1,000 buildings were destroyed, hundreds of stores were looted, and police stations, town halls, schools, and other state symbols were attacked. Courts held hasty trials where lawyers reportedly were not even given adequate time to prepare, and the accused were sentenced to terms in prison.[34] More importantly, violence was witnessed in France's overseas territories over the same issue. In response to the violence, France deployed around 45,000 police personnel on the streets to restore order.[35]
The Committee, which oversees the implementation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, adopted the statement under its early warning and urgent actions procedures.[36]
Due to all this, it is evident that the French motto “Liberté, égalité, fraternité” is just an empty slogan.
CONCLUSION:
The religious riots in France, sparked by the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Nahel M during a traffic stop, have exposed deep-rooted issues within French society. The protests, which spread across the country, were fueled by a combination of factors, including longstanding grievances of immigrants, high unemployment rates, institutional racism, and a history of police brutality. The protests were not solely driven by solidarity with Nahel's death but also served as an outlet for frustration and anger towards the French system.
The protests and subsequent violence highlighted the failure of France's color-blind approach to race and the myth of equality. The absence of data collection based on race has hindered efforts to address racism and discrimination in various aspects of life, including policing, healthcare, and employment. The protests also shed light on immigrants' socioeconomic disparities, particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds, who feel marginalized and excluded from French society.
Internationally, the protests have had repercussions on politics and immigration policies. Right-wing parties across Europe seized on the violence as evidence of the failure of multiculturalism and used it to promote their anti-immigration agendas. The protests damaged France's image globally and provided ammunition for those opposing migration policies in other countries. The consequences of these protests can potentially shape future elections and procedures, with right-wing leaders gaining support and posing challenges to centrist leaders like Emmanuel Macron.
Overall, the religious riots in France have exposed deep-seated issues within the country, including institutional racism, socioeconomic disparities, and a failure to address the concerns of marginalized communities. It is clear that France's ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity remain unfulfilled in practice, and urgent actions are needed to address these systemic issues and work towards a more inclusive and just society.
Notes
[1] The Guardian. "'French People Are Angry': Communities React after Protests," July 10, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/10/french-people-are-angry-communities-react-after-protests.
[2]Subscribe to read | Financial Times. “Subscribe to Read | Financial Times,” n.d. https://www.ft.com/content/25eda9f0-8bd3-41e1-948c-89cc7c0ec66e.
[3]Explained | Why were there riots in France? - The Hindu. “Explained | Why Were There Riots in France?,” July 10, 2023. https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/explained-why-were-there-riots-in-france/article67065402.ece.
[4]AP News. "'Liberty, Equality, Fraternity for All? New Riots Make France Confront an Old Problem," July 4, 2023. https://apnews.com/article/france-riots-police-shooting-5618c6749ea9d9e5f30f5865f79b7fbb.
[5]Explained | Why were there riots in France? - The Hindu. “Explained | Why Were There Riots in France?,” July 10, 2023. https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/explained-why-were-there-riots-in-france/article67065402.ece.
[6]The Indian Express. “The Complex History of French Immigration — Seen in a Police Killing and Retaliatory Street Violence,” July 3, 2023. https://indianexpress.com/article//history-france-immigration-8699397/.
[7]Ibid
[8]Firstpost. “Colonialism or Migration: What’s to Blame for the Riots in France?,” July 4, 2023. https://www.firstpost.com/world/colonialism-or-migration-whats-to-blame-for-the-riots-in-france-12824962.html.
[9]Batool, Syeda Saba, Dr. Andrey KORTUNOV, Sahibzada M. Usman, Ph.D., and Christophe Nivelle. “France’s Riots of 2023 Unmasking the Deep-Seated Inequality and Institutional Racism.” Modern Diplomacy, July 12, 2023. https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2023/07/12/frances-riots-of-2023-unmasking-the-deep-seated-inequality-and-institutional-racism/.
[10]BBC News. “African Migration: Is the CFA Franc Forcing People to Leave?,” n.d. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46960532.
[11]Ibid
[12]Subscribe to read | Financial Times. “Subscribe to Read | Financial Times,” n.d. https://www.ft.com/content/25eda9f0-8bd3-41e1-948c-89cc7c0ec66e.
[13]Ibid
[14]Ibid
[15]France Violence 2023: What is happening in France? “France Violence 2023: What Is Happening in France?,” July 10, 2023. https://blog.finology.in/recent-updates/france-violence-what-is-happening-in-france.
[16]Bubola, Emma, and Aurelien Breeden. 2023. “France Police Shooting and Riots: What to Know.” The New York Times, July 3, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/29/world/europe/france-riots-nahel-shooting.html.
[17]Explained | Why were there riots in France? - The Hindu. “Explained | Why Were There Riots in France?,” July 10, 2023. https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/explained-why-were-there-riots-in-france/article67065402.ece.
[18]The Indian Express. “The Complex History of French Immigration — Seen in a Police Killing and Retaliatory Street Violence,” July 3, 2023. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-global/history-france-immigration-8699397/.
[19]https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-ap-top-news-race-and-ethnicity-understanding-the-outbreak-paris-0c3f1ae72ca05f66f4916d28f0962a87
[20]The Indian Express. “The Complex History of French Immigration — Seen in a Police Killing and Retaliatory Street Violence,” July 3, 2023. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-global/history-france-immigration-8699397/.
[21]Alexander, Kristian. “Community Policing, Not Tough-On-Crime Policies, Is What France Needs - Fair Observer.” Fair Observer, July 6, 2023. https://www.fairobserver.com/world-news/community-policing-not-tough-on-crime-policies-is-what-france-needs/.
[22]Firstpost. “Riots in France: How the Country Has a Long History of Racist Police Violence,” July 3, 2023. https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/riots-france-killing-teen-french-police-racism-violence-12820042.html.
[23]The Business Standard. “Does France Not See Colour?,” July 6, 2023. https://www.tbsnews.net/features/panorama/does-france-not-see-colour-660782.
[24]Staff, Reuters. “Don’t Forget the French Beheaded Their King, Hollande Warns Macron.” U.S., n.d. https://www.reuters.com/article/cnews-us-france-politics-idCAKBN1HI1VR-OCATP.
[25]AP News. “‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’ for All? New Riots Make France Confront an Old Problem,” July 4, 2023. https://apnews.com/article/france-riots-police-shooting-5618c6749ea9d9e5f30f5865f79b7fbb.
[26]POLITICO. “The Politics of the French Riots,” July 3, 2023. https://www.politico.eu/article/france-riots-politics-boy-shot-dead-by-police/.
[27]dw.com. “How Is Europe’s Far Right Capitalizing on France’s Unrest? – DW – 07/05/2023,” n.d. https://www.dw.com/en/how-is-europes-far-right-capitalizing-on-frances-unrest/a-66127263.
[28]Ibid
[29]France president Emmanuel Macron weakened by crisis over police killing - The Hindu. “France President Emmanuel Macron Weakened by Crisis over Police Killing,” July 4, 2023. https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/france-president-emmanuel-macron-weakened-by-crisis-over-police-killing/article67040476.ece.
[30]dw.com. “How Is Europe’s Far Right Capitalizing on France’s Unrest? – DW – 07/05/2023,” n.d. https://www.dw.com/en/how-is-europes-far-right-capitalizing-on-frances-unrest/a-66127263.
[31]Ibid
[32]Ibid
[33]Ibid
[34]The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. “French Riots Should Inspire France to Reconsider Its Stance on Israel,” July 9, 2023. https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-749324.
[35]The Indian Express. “Why Has France Been Engulfed by Protests – Again?,” July 1, 2023. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-global/france-protests-8695575/.
[36]https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/07/statement-france-un-committee-elimination-racial-discrimination#:~:text=GENEVA%20(7%20July%202023)%20%E2%80%93,force%20by%20law%20enforcement%20officials.
Pic Courtsey-
(The views are of the author only.)
