This article is part of our special report Mapping anti-Muslim sentiment in Europe.
With reports of racist incidents on the rise in France and elsewhere in Europe since 2018, a French ministerial delegation is set to publish a new National Plan against Racism and Anti-Semitism.
Read the original French story here.
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.
The French National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH) described the situation as “alarming”. While French society appears to be increasingly tolerant, based on CNCDH’s historical data, “certain racist, anti-Semitic and xenophobic biases remain strong and, above all, their manifestation is renewed, diversified and even intensified”.
The violent killing of three Kurds in the heart of Paris on 23 December, for which the racist motive was proven – although some further questions remain regarding the political nature of the act – serves as a reminder of how urgent the matter is and that strong measures are expected.
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A new National Plan
“What is being reported from the ground is the exacerbation of unabashed behaviour,” said Sophie Elizéon, head of the inter-ministerial delegation for the fight against racism, anti-Semitism and anti-LGBT hate (DILCRAH).
Although French society is moving towards greater equality and respect, some people – mostly white men in their fifties, data shows – are becoming increasingly defensive in the face of this new reality and are resorting to violence, she told EURACTIV.
As racism is rife on social networks, fuelled by a few politicians, it is also gaining traction in ‘real’ life, she added.
In tackling the crisis, the DILCRAH delegation is betting on education and financial support to on-the-ground NGOs – with over 900 of them throughout the country.
On Monday (30 January), French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne is expected to present a new action plan to fight racism and anti-Semitism, led by the DILCRAH.
The plan will focus on three main aspects: helping to put words on the problem, measuring the extent of the issue, and providing better education and training to counter stereotypes, according to Elizéon.
The plan is expected to extend training on these issues to the entire civil service to better recognise and tackle discrimination based on ethnicity, as well as anti-Romani sentiment. New penalties are also expected to be introduced, in collaboration with the Ministries of the Interior and Justice.
The previous National Plan (2018-2020) already identified the issues of online hate content, training of educational staff and better consideration of victims as key priorities.
Social and economic crises strengthening the far right
France’s political response in recent years has been promising overall, despite some “serious concerns”, according to the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), an independent body of the Council of Europe.
In its report published in September 2022, the ECRI expressed concern about the “trivialisation of hate speech” in France, “particularly in the political sphere, as well as in the audiovisual media and on social networks”.
“The rise of the social crisis, coupled with an economic crisis, reinforces the discourse of the extreme right. Intolerant speech is becoming normalised and those most convinced find it easier to act,” said Marie-Christine Vergiat, former MEP and vice-president of the League of Human Rights (LDH).
Meanwhile, stereotypes remain the same over time, with the association between foreigners and criminals still persisting, according to Vergiat, who condemned that this “misleading” association has become commonplace in the French political sphere, blaming former president Nicolas Sarkozy for seizing on these “far-right ideas” during his 2007 electoral campaign.
The issue of racism is equally present at the European level. In 2021, the EU Fundamental Rights Agency estimated that 90% of hate crimes go unreported, either due to fear of reprisal or because psychological and administrative support is lacking.
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Up to 9 in 10 hate crimes and attacks in the EU still go unreported because victims face difficulty reporting them, do not trust the police and believe that nothing would change if they report it, according to a new study by the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency.
[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]
Source: euractiv.com
