The French Dilemma

The French Dilemma

She walks down the street, eyes downcast and hands forever adjusting her scarf against swirling winds. Her pace quickens past the bus stop when she hears someone yelling, “Go back to where you came from, paki!” Part of her wants to put them in their place, but she knows, that will only bring more trouble. Resolutely defeated, she walks on with tears in her eyes.

Such racist encounters faced by people of colour are becoming the norm these days, particularly in European countries, including France.

University graduates protesting against racism in France [ http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2013/05/89860/foreign-graduates-accuse-france-of-racism/ ] 

According to its 1958 Constitution, it is said that “France is an indivisible, secular, democratic and social republic that assures equality in front of the law for all citizens, regardless of origins, race or religion.”

Such care was duly given to ensure fairness is maintained; however, it is now apparent that it comes at a cost, as France only recognizes rights in context of citizenship and human characterization and does not take into consideration cultural and minority stakes within the larger framework of nation building.

As a result, racism has taken root in a community that is often made to choose between two differing camps of what it means to be a French citizen. This state of being ‘caught in the middle’ has also created nuances of racism and colourism stemming from prejudice and anger of having to share the same ‘label’.

“It (racism) initially starts with stereotyping and judgement that my people go through such as seen as lazy,” says Anaïs Capo-Chichi from Grenoble, France, when asked about racism and stereotyping of the black community in France. 

As if to echo such words, the Council of Europe’s 2015 report has stated that France is indeed becoming more racist and intolerant towards religious and ethnic minorities.

The damning findings came out a month after the Charlie Hebdo shooting and is reminiscent of targeted racism acts such as the Dreyfus Affair of 1894, where Jewish groups were condemned, the African Slave Trade of 1674, with King Louis XIV setting up the Black Code that echoed American Slavery terms as well as the more recent Hijab Ban Law of 2004 which, instead of quelling misconceptions about French Muslims towards their French counterparts, allowed for further inroads regarding racism.

“You just become so paranoid, because you cannot see it and you don’t understand why such things are happening to you, it is that subtle,” continues Capo-Chichi when asked about her own experience with racism.

Moslem women walking past hate graffiti [ http://www.worldbulletin.net/haber/158021/france-to-allow-class-actions-against-racism ]  

The consequences of this is that the quality of life in France is fast becoming unbalanced for certain groups of people, as the country is evidently becoming more secularly racist. This notion was further cemented when the Washington Post ran an article about the increase of racist comments by French political leaders against minority groups.

The suggestion that racism is taught and therefore can be dismantled through the education of the future generation seems to be one way racism can be eradicated. “I firmly believe it’s the subtle things we do that teaches our kids to be racist and the judgmental attitudes and perception towards people of colour. That needs to stop,” Capo-Chichi added.

The road to a more informed and tolerant France certainly will be affected by Brexit from the European Union, as the United Kingdom is possibly set to become a more closed community; a breeding ground for collective racism due to no checks kept in place. The effect of this on France, due to being the UK’s nearest neighbor, remains to be seen. Until then, for the people of colour in France, as Samuel L. Jackson would famously say regarding the usage of the ‘N’ word for the Black community, “Hey, it’s just another Tuesday for us.”