Broken windows, cars on fire and an attack on the house of a liberal-conservative mayor. French youth are out in the streets, again. They resort to violence and vandalism. – To understand, you have to look past the burning cars, says Helena Berkaoui, editor-in-chief of Bondy Blog. Humiliating relations with the police The protests were sparked by the murder of a 17-year-old boy who was caught driving without a driver’s license. He was shot in the chest by a policeman when he tried to drive away from them. The demonstrators are now protesting against discrimination in the police. The French online medium Bondy Blog particularly follows protests and riots in France closely. Editor-in-chief Berkaoui has spoken to several protesters, who tell of a condescending relationship with the police. – When the police check them, it is always in an unpleasant tone. Even when the check goes well, there are words like jabs and racist remarks, she says. Helena Barkaoui follows the Protestants in France. Photo: PRIVAT Rebellion against racism The demonstrators believe there is structural racism in France, something the French authorities have rejected. This is the third police killing that has occurred in connection with traffic controls this year. Last year, 13 people were killed in similar situations in France. The majority of victims since 2017 have either been black or of Arab origin, according to Reuters. A survey carried out by African and Afro-Caribbean associations in France shows that 9 out of 10 responded as a victim of racist discrimination in France. When the protests broke out last week, the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani, therefore asked France to deal with racism in the country. During a week of riots, over 3,000 will be arrested. The rebellion was latent Kjerstin Aukrust, professor at the University of Oslo, has researched social movements in France. She says that the rebellion has been latent for several decades, even though those in the streets are very young: – The rage is a legacy from the parents. It is mostly people with an immigrant background who are on the streets, who have ancestors who largely come from former French colonies. When asked why the protests are so violent, Berkaoui says that this is a response to violence from the governing authorities: – This is violence as a reaction to other violence. Chosen from a society that undermined and discriminated against inequality. This starts already at school, and continues in working life, says Barkaoui. Slogans such as “no justice” and “justice for Nahel” are repeated in the demonstrations. Photo: SEBASTIEN SALOM-GOMIS / AFP Aukrust agrees that violence begets violence, and refers to the French writer Edouard Louis to explain: – Edouard Louis points to the political and social violence the protesters have been victims of for many years, in the form of low wages, cuts in social security schemes and pressure to stay at work even if one is ill or injured. Vandalism and destruction France is known for its violent demonstrations. Last spring this year, over a million people took to the streets to protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. Broken shop windows, mountains of rubbish in the streets due to strikes, burning cars and black-clad youth characterize the news image. One has seen a lot of the same in the last week. There are reports of 5,000 burnt vehicles and 1,000 burnt or damaged buildings, and a 24-year-old firefighter died in a firefighting mission. Both public and private buildings have been vandalised, and desperate mayors across the country have called for a “return to republican order”. It is expected that the clean-up work will be demanding. A consequence of mass immigration The uprising we are seeing now has especially created reactions on the right side of French politics. The leader of the Les Républicains party, Éric Ciotti, says that the opponents have attacked the republic, and demands the revocation of the citizenship of the rebels with dual citizenship. Éric Ciotti calls the protesters barbarians. Photo: LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP Ciotti believes that this is a consequence of mass immigration. A fundraising campaign has also been started for the family of the policeman now charged with murder. The Go fund me campaign was created by a former far-right politician, Jean Messiha. On Tuesday afternoon, he has collected over NOK 17 million. Asking parents to take responsibility President Macron has condemned the murder, but also the protestors. He has not directly responded to the accusations of racism in the police. However, he has said that social media and video games have played an important role in the rebellion, and asked parents to watch their children. To crack down on the violent rebellion, he has dispatched 45,000 policemen to the streets across the country. The protests are getting smaller every day, and fewer and fewer are being arrested. On Tuesday, Macron met over 200 mayors to discuss the clean-up and help to repair destroyed buildings. Photo: Ludovic Marin / AP Macron said in a meeting with over 200 mayors on Tuesday that “the peak has been reached”, and that the most important thing going forward will be to secure peace. Do not believe in change Berkaoui does not believe that the uprising will lead to change: – When we look at the reactions from the government and the president, there is no hope to be seen. The problem of racism in the police is not mentioned. The authorities blame the youth’s parents. There is no doubt that the winner of this will be the far right, she says. Hear also:
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