Report Reveals Widespread Racial Discrimination Against Black People in France

Racism towards Black people is particularly expressed on social networks with crude and violent terms, according to the CNCDH. Thus, 31% of people from the overseas departments and 47% of immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa are the most vilified. Despite the reasons related to offenses, discrimination in France finds its origin in history and culture.

For an in-depth assessment, the commission recommends that the public authorities develop surveys and testing tools in public services, police stations and gendarmeries. Completed since March, this report resurfaced following the recent demonstrations of the last few weeks against racism and police violence, reported the AFP. In a 44-page report published on Thursday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) denounced abusive and racist checks carried out by the French police on young blacks and Arabs, often minors. These checks take the form of humiliating body searches and searches of personal effects.

Bénédicte Jeannerod, France director of Human Rights Watch, calls on President Emmanuel Macron to reform the legal framework for police checks. According to the AFP, this "identity check" report was carried out for more than a year with around a hundred young blacks and Arabs from several cities in France and documents police checks.