Why France has a racism problem? Gripped by domestic turmoil, Paris to host next Olympics

Racism made unprecedented headlines for years in Europe following the brutal mass riots worldwide, particularly in the United States, France, Germany, and Belgium. It seemed Europeans were finally waking up to this reality, but the news cycle has already moved on. Yet the racial justice movement is pursuing its vital and relentless work to dismantle structural racism on the eve of the Paris Summer Olympics. Meanwhile, experts have called out the lack of accountability exercised over France as it prepares to host the landmark Olympics.

According to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), an anti-racist organisation, racial discrimination is recurrent, straddles all walks of life, is part of how European societies have been historically constituted and has a compound impact on the well-being of dignity and rights of whole segments of the population.

The liberal Western world witnessed a dramatic rise in racial discrimination in the last three years when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, causing violent clashes in large urban areas and mass arrests of protestors. When it comes to police brutality and discriminatory policing, EU policy-makers often point fingers at the US, but institutional racism in the police and criminal justice systems is rife across Europe.

Moreover, the EU's agenda similarly focused on securitisation, reinforcing police brutality against those fetching up at the union's borders. In line with this, many Europeans believe that police brutality against "particular ethnic minorities" is justified, as those groups are the source of "social-economic destabilisation".

For example, two-thirds of Belgians and French people believe that minority groups are harming their welfare systems, but only 37% of Spanish people and 42% of Italians feel the same way. Although there is a lack of objective data on discrimination and racist violence in several EU member states, a new study suggests that racism has increased in Europe, particularly towards the Roma community, Muslims, Jews and immigrants.

Recently, in France, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets, sometimes violently, expressing their anger over the killing of 17-year-old Nahel, a teenager of Algerian descent, who was shot dead by a police officer at a traffic stop. Indeed, the clashes between the mostly young protesters and the police have raised questions about the sheer amount of violence and random destruction in France.

It's also worth noting alleged human rights abuses, exploitation of labourers, mistreatment of migrant workers on the eve of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games to be held in Paris. Some Arabic media figures claimed that France is not a safe place to hold the Olympic games next year and called to move them to a different country.

Qatari media figure 'Abd Al-'Aziz Ibrahim Aal Ishaq addressed the International Olympic Committee writing on his Twitter account that "Paris is not safe to host the Olympic Games due to the spread of crime, racism, child killings, and riots. The Olympic Games should be immediately relocated to another country".

Al-Jazeera host Salam Hindawi tweeted on July 1 that "are the Olympic games still supposed to be held in France, especially when the security situation there is unstable and the scope of violence is growing?"

Referring to the Summer Olympics, Khaled Beydoun, law professor at Wayne State University in Detroit and the Berkman Center at Harvard, said that “despite the systematic Islamophobia and racism rooted in France, hallmarked most starkly by the hijab ban and the recent police murder of young Algerian-French teen Nahel Merzouk, the western European nation has drawn little opposition to its hosting of the Olympics”.

Following a press investigation published in January 2023, by the French newspaper Liberation, a scandal erupted concerning extensive violations committed by French companies against migrant workers employed in the construction of the Olympic Games facilities.

The investigation specifically focused on the exploitation of foreign workers who had entered France illegally and were engaged in projects related to the Olympics. These workers were subjected to strenuous labour conditions, which resulted in the unfortunate deaths of some individuals.

Consequently, racial discrimination is not a new phenomenon in the case of France, as the issue has been on the top agenda of many international organisations for a while. As such, in June 2023, the UN rights office (OHCHR) expressed concern over the frequent killing of ethnic minorities and mass arrests by the French police. “This is a moment for the country to seriously address the deep issues of racism and discrimination in law enforcement”, said the final statement of the office.

The case of the 17-year-old Algerian was not the only shocking incident, as there were brutal killings of other ethnic minorities in the heart of Paris committed by French nationals driven by nationalistic ideas. Hence, on December 23, three members of the Kurdish community were fatally shot in central Paris by a 69-year-old French national who had been freed from detention. As expected, the attack triggered violent protests and police clashes, with dozens of ethnic Kurds being arrested by the French police.

Despite apparent incidents and fatal consequences, the French government critically assessed the independent investigations and research of the surge of racial discrimination in the country, claiming that such reports largely ignore the unprovoked attacks on police forces, elected representatives, public services, police stations, schools, social and healthcare centres and town halls, as well as numerous items of property across the country.

In contrast to the government’s report, In France in 2021, some 12,500 offences of a ‘racist, xenophobic or anti-religious nature’ were officially recorded, according to the most recent figures from the French Ministry of the Interior. This is an increase of 13% in crimes and offences and 26% in fines compared to 2019.

According to the ministry, only 25% of victims of racist threats and physical violence and 5% of victims of verbal abuse filed a complaint between 2013 and 2018. Overall, it is estimated that more than 1.2 million people actually experienced acts of racial abuse or violence each year during this period.

Such intensive numbers of racial discrimination in one of the leading Western countries make the critical assessment and international reaction relevant. The EU can no longer turn a blind eye to deep structural inequalities and the population’s demands. Indeed, the leading Western countries, including France, must demonstrate a solid commitment to tackling racial discrimination based on a strategic vision. This will enable countries to focus on individual aspects of racism to address structural and institutional dimensions.