Underlying issues fertile ground for unrest

The riots in France, which erupted nationwide after a teenager of North African descent was shot dead by police during a traffic stop on June 27, have shaken the country and shocked the rest of the world.

So far, more than 3,000 people have been detained, with the violence accompanied by widespread arson, looting and vandalism. Hundreds of police and firefighters have been injured in the worst social upheaval in the country for years.

The riots have forced Emmanuel Macron to delay what would have been the first state visit to Germany by a French president in 23 years which was scheduled to start Sunday evening.

Racial discrimination in law enforcement seems to have been the direct cause of the riots — there have been 21 fatal police traffic-stop shootings in France since 2020, most of the victims being of Black or Arab origin. Yet the latest killing was just the lighter that sparked the gas. The unleashing of violence and fury on such a scale reflects the wider problems in French society, such as poverty, joblessness and increasing social alienation. By the end of 2020, there were 10 million French people living in poverty, which was eight times more than in 1980. The COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict have further aggravated the problem.

Moreover, immigrants and their descendants are more likely to be unemployed than non-immigrants in general. The jobless rate among immigrants reached 12.9 percent in France in 2020, compared with 7.4 percent for non-immigrants. According to the French National Institute of Statistics, the living conditions of the country’s 7 million immigrants are marked by greater poverty and difficulties related to employment.

For years France has been applying a “color-blind” approach to public policy to reflect its tradition of universalism in the hope of uniting all French citizens regardless of their color and race. It even removed the word “race” from the country’s Constitution arguing the term was outdated.

But turning a blind eye to the sensitive issue has not prevented the gap between the reality and ideal from widening, nor has it helped the government properly address racial disparities that are becoming more acute within the country. France, like many other European countries, has taken in a large number of immigrants and refugees from North Africa after the “Arab Spring” and the wars and chaos caused by the US-led Western powers in the Middle East. This has aggravated racial tensions. Many people in France have already called on the government to recognize that universalism is a myth and explore alternative ways to address the problems that have emerged.

At the same time, it should be noted that the violence is being exploited by some who hope to make trouble for Macron, who has been a vocal critic of Europe’s Washington-led stance on the Ukraine conflict. With the immediate anger seemingly burning itself out, it is to be hoped that order can be restored in France at an early date before the flames of unrest are fanned and spread throughout an already troubled Europe.

Editorial, China Daily