France in flames. We have all seen these images.
For several days at the end of June and the beginning of July, the French nation once again
experienced a situation of complete chaos. The footage of protests, looting,
fire and riots that broke out in France's major cities were seen around the world.
Of course, these images are no longer something extraordinary in this country. Events and images,
more or less similar, are repeated every so often and with increasing intensity.
It doesn't matter if we are talking about racial or religious vindication and protests,
the final of the soccer "Champions League", the yellow vests or pension
reforms. Violence is becoming a distinctive sign of any social movement in this country.
The latest wave of riots triggered by the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk by a
policeman resulted in more than 5,000 vehicles burned, more than 1,000 properties damaged or
looted, 269 police stations attacked and more than 4,000 people arrested. It was madness.
Even so, let's not fool ourselves, because these protests will not go down in history.
In today's France, the latest wave of violence will be just that, the last wave before the
next one comes in the not too distant future. It is something that is bound to happen... And
it will probably happen sooner than we can imagine. Because VisualPolitik community,
France is starting to be broken, the country is in serious danger of implosion
and every now and then the flames rise up. ("It is as if France is a pressure cooker,
[each crisis] reveals tensions, a conflict in society... Our country is constantly invoking
republican values, but it seems that whole segments of the population do not
feel that this matters to them" – Bruno Cautrès, political researcher in declarations to Politico)
The situation has reached such a point that, during the protests,
French President Emmanuel Macron went so far as to advocate ideas such as these:
(Macron suggests blocking social media during riots – Le Monde)
But what exactly is going on in France? Why does society seem completely broken?
What is behind these huge waves of violence? What consequences are they likely to have?
VisualPolitik viewers, in this video we are going to tell you which are the three main factors
in all this chaos that every now and then is unleashed in France. The three major ingredients
that will allow us to better understand exactly what is happening in France and why Paris and
other major French cities are becoming the Gotham Cities of Europe. But in this case,
obviously there’s no Batman in sight... Although, as we will see, some characters pretend to be.
Let's get on with it. (THE BANLIEUES: THE FUSE)
In order to really understand this story we have to start by going
back to the middle of the 20th century. As in many other large cities in Europe
and America, Paris and other large French cities were expanding at full speed. Industrialization
and the exodus from the countryside to the city were multiplying urban populations.
In the case of France, this phenomenon was also accelerated by the
decolonization processes of its former empire. In response to the overcrowding of cities and the
appearance of shantytowns and substandard housing, the suburbs of cities began to grow in the 1960s:
the famous "banlieues" They did so in Paris,
Lyon, Marseilles and other large cities. They were developed under the direction of
the French State itself, which began to promote thousands and thousands, tens of
thousands of social housing units in these new neighborhoods where, of course, schools, medical
centers and public transportation lines were also opened. On paper the idea was fantastic.
With these new neighborhoods and the thousands of public housing units built by the government,
the poorest French could not only have access to a house,
but also to a much more affluent lifestyle.
However, problems soon arose. You know that there is a massive gap
between theory and practice and that good intentions do not guarantee good results.
Well, initially, most of the housing was destined for the French who had emigrated
from the countryside to the city, but as soon as they could, they moved to neighborhoods
considered better. So what happened to those vacated State housing spaces? Well,
they were acquired by or passed into the hands of the immigrant population.
At the same time, the deindustrialization that Paris has experienced over the last
four decades has closed the doors to good jobs and good salaries for many
of the residents of these same neighborhoods. And so, in this way, these areas ended up becoming
something like a synonym of poverty, immigration and all kinds of problems:
school dropouts, discrimination, unemployment, poorly maintained buildings, delinquency...
Let's just say that little by little these suburbs started to become real ghettos.
This was a particularly intense phenomenon for many groups of immigrants from the Caribbean,
Senegal, Ivory Coast, Morocco and especially Algeria, who have ended up living in separate
neighborhoods, where the cultural pressure of their countries of origin is maintained and
where levels of integration with French society are relatively low. In recent years, for example,
many people from countries such as Pakistan have been arriving. And, as you can imagine,
the combination of such a rigid culture with a ghetto environment is a ticking time bomb.
Now, don't think that this has taken anyone by surprise. In 1977,
the French government was already concerned that ghettos were forming.
What's more, in the last 20 years alone, the French State has spent a whopping 60 billion
euros on a colossal campaign to renovate housing blocks, improve infrastructure
and upgrade all kinds of facilities in these neighborhoods, particularly in the
poorest ones where more than five million people live, half of them from Algeria.
In fact, during the latest protests, I am sure you have all seen how libraries, schools and health
centers were burned. And logically, if they have been burned, it is because they exist.
(Health is free, school is free, and sometimes we have the feeling that it
is never enough." – Emmanuel Macron) On top of that, for years there have
also been lots of organizations paid by the government to try to make things better.
Yet, despite all the efforts, the results have been rather poor.
The banlieues are widely known for their high rates of unemployment,
school dropouts, drug addiction, poverty and delinquency. It is a real disaster.
Because many of the people who live in these places, especially children,
do not have an easy time escaping from them. And the fact is that changing material things
is relatively simple. All you have to do is pull out your checkbook. However,
the same is not true of culture or people. Do you want an example? Well, think of the
schools. Schools in these neighborhoods have very high failure rates and their academic
level tends to be much lower. This means that many students end up falling by the wayside.
Well, the fact is that this public housing policy that ended up promoting real ghettos is one of the
key factors for explaining why France has so many problems integrating immigrants.
Basically, immigrants arrive in France, they live in France, their children are born in France,
but they never really become French. Neither them nor their children. At least
not completely. Here the data are compelling. For example, it is estimated that about 50%
of the children in these ghettos are poor. Unemployment is almost double the national
average and, of course, family incomes are much lower. To give you an idea, one out of
five foreigners living in France thinks they are discriminated against because of their origin,
their race or their religion. This is one of the highest rates in the developed world.
It turns out that France is one of the countries that has the most problems integrating immigrants.
And these neighborhoods are largely to blame. You don't believe me? Well...
Take a look at this graph. ("There is still a feeling in these neighborhoods,
and probably a reality, that you don't have as many opportunities as in other places,
when you see your parents and older siblings struggling to find work. [...] We are paying
for the concentration of poverty, the lack of diversity in the schools and the refusal to
build social housing outside these neighborhoods" – Olivier Klein, Minister of Housing and Urban
Affairs and former mayor of Clichy-sous-Bois, a municipality in the eastern suburbs of Paris)
Logically, all these factors generate frustration. And, make no mistake, frustration
is the best possible fuel for violence. To make matters worse, two new problems have
arisen in these neighborhoods in recent years: Firstly, drug trafficking.
(Cocaine supply at an all-time high in France – LeMonde)
Drug consumption in France has grown a lot in recent years. It is estimated that
cocaine alone has more than 600,000 regular users in France. This has obviously led to
the emergence of many underworld groups that operate precisely from these neighborhoods.
At the same time, there is the problem of religious fundamentalism. It is precisely
in these types of suburbs that most of the Muslim population of France lives. And,
think about it, the lack of opportunities, the feeling of not belonging and the frustration
have formed the perfect breeding ground when it comes to recruiting fanatics.
For example, I don't know if you remember, but before the pandemic, jihadist attacks in France
were the order of the day. Well, most of them were perpetrated by people of Algerian origin who
lived, guess where? Exactly, in the banlieues. This has logically contributed to an enormous
spiral of distrust, violence and suspicion that has only exacerbated the problem. For example,
people of foreign origin living in these neighborhoods are 20 times more likely
to be stopped by police. Take a moment to process that: 20 times more likely.
Keep in mind that it’s a police force that is not always particularly friendly. Which
brings us directly to the second major factor in this whole story.
Listen up. (THE POLICE: THE ACCELERANT?)
The police force is by far one of the most powerful institutions in France. Among other
reasons because it is strongly unionized. The police have a lot of political influence.
And in recent years the rise of jihadist fundamentalism, the increasingly common
protests against the government of the day and the increase in drug trafficking
has given them even more presence in society. To give you an idea, for every year since the
beginning of the century, France has practically passed a new security law that strengthens the
police. For example, they can use intermediate weapons in their patrols in the suburbs, something
that is extremely rare in the rest of Europe. Another example? They have been given the power
to stop and identify absolutely anyone they want to without any reason whatsoever.
And their powers even include that, since 2017, traffic police have been allowed to use lethal
force against any driver fleeing a checkpoint. In fact, although it may surprise you, Nahel
Merzouk's case was not unprecedented. On 7 June, just three weeks before Nahel's death, the Paris
police killed a young woman, 21 years old, who had allegedly refused to stop at a checkpoint.
On 14 June, two weeks before Nahel's death, police also killed a 19-year-old delivery worker,
a Guinean boy, at another checkpoint. In total, in just the 18 months prior to
the death that triggered the protests, the French police had killed 17 people at traffic controls.
It was madness. And
that's not all. In general, we are talking about a police force that
accumulates a lot of complaints for excesses of all kinds and that, as you can imagine,
is very unpopular in the suburbs. And vice versa. According to polls,
police officers disproportionately identify with parties like Marine Le Pen's,
which are calling for a much firmer hand. In fact, after the latest riots broke out,
the two big police unions employed a tremendously inflammatory tone. They went so far as to say
that they were at war against hordes of savages and that they had to put an end to the rats.
Well, what can I say? You can have whatever opinion you like,
but I don't know, statements like that don't exactly seem likely to inspire calm, do they?
The French police are no joke. In fact, keep in mind what Macron
himself was saying in 2017: ("I want to change the culture,
management style and recruitment of the police force" – Emmanuel Macron in 2017)
Nevertheless, not long after came the yellow vests, the pension reform protests and so
on... And naturally, Macron wanted nothing to do with fighting with the police... And
especially not with his unions. It was the last thing he needed!
Of course, the fact that the police are incapable of controlling the suburbs and
that the population of these neighborhoods has so little confidence in them only adds fuel to the
problem of the ghettos that we have already seen. But hold on just a moment, because in this entire
story not everyone loses out. The third major factor in this whole mess... It is nothing short
of the great beneficiary of this whole story. Any ideas? Well... Stay tuned.
(CLAMOR FOR AN IRON FIST: THE CONSEQUENCE)
The latest wave of violence has resulted in one clear winner: Marine Le Pen.
The French are starting to be fed up and Le Pen has capitalized on the moment like no one
else. Le Pen and her party took advantage of the riots to attack the Macron government, but also
to present a package of heavy-handed measures intended to please the majority of voters."
For example, the National Rally, formerly the National Front, Le Pen's party,
wants young people from 16 years old to be able to be tried in criminal proceedings as adults,
it wants those convicted of crimes to lose the right to live in public housing or to receive any
kind of payment or consideration from the State. It also wants many more people to be imprisoned
and to reduce social payments to people living in these very suburbs we are talking about.
And do you know what? All this is starting to sound good to the French... Remember
that’s not us saying it. On 30 June a poll was conducted which showed that Le
Pen's response has been the best rated of all political leaders in France.
("The scum we see looting stores, torching libraries and city halls,
all while laughing, are not doing this for Nahel. It is an excuse to attack the police
and everything that represents the republic." – Edwige Diaz, deputy of the National Rally)
Despite everything, support for the police has remained quite high among the French.
According to a poll published by the newspaper Le Figaro,
57% sided with the police, while 69% supported declaring a state of emergency,
which was, by the way, another of Le Pen's demands. It’s been quite a political rally.
VisualPolitik community, the breeding ground that is emerging in France is...
Delicate. On the one hand, there is the frustration of the suburbs, on the
other hand jihadism, then we have the most radical parties gathering support at full speed. This is
the great threat of implosion of France. A country where we can already find news items like this:
(Fundraiser for French officer who killed teen raises over $1.5 million – WashingtonPost)
Of course, wait a minute, because this is not only happening in France.
The truth is that the issue of immigration and, above all, the integration problems that
have generated many of the policies that have been implemented in recent decades
is becoming explosive material. France receives a lot of attention,
but it is not a unique case. Here on VisualPolitik we have already
told you how Sweden is also having serious problems with violence. In this country,
for example, police have identified more than 30,000 people who are either part of or
have close connections to the more than 50 gangs that have triggered violence within the country.
("We have never faced such ruthless criminality [...] The organizational model of the entire
Swedish justice system is not prepared to deal with such extensive criminality" – Anders
Thornberg, Chief of the Swedish National Police) And watch out for Belgium or even Germany. In
the great European power, the number of crimes has skyrocketed... This has caused the voting
intentions of the far-right Alternative for Germany party to shoot up as well.
In total, of the 27 governments of the European Union, only six currently lean to the left. And
there may soon be even fewer. In the last 18 months there has been a tremendous political
shift across Europe. And here immigration and above all the problems of integration
are playing an absolutely fundamental role. So, at this point, the key question is over
to you: How would you tackle France's problems? Immigration is essential and,
what’s more, it has very positive economic effects, but how can we improve the integration
of the first and, above all, the second and third generations of immigrants?
Leave me your answer in the comments and let's open a debate. And now if you found
this video interesting don't forget to like and subscribe to VisualPolitik.
Thank you very much for being there, All the best and see you next time.