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France: Paris rejects UN allegations of racism among police officers

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France
Paris rejects UN allegations of police racism

Since the death of 17-year-old Nahel in a traffic stop, France has been shaken by serious riots and protests against police violence. photo

© Christophe Ena/AP

After the riots in France, the UN body denounced excessive violence and discriminatory controls by the police. France’s Foreign Ministry responds.

France’s Foreign Ministry has rejected allegations of structural racism in the police force by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). “Any allegation of racism or systemic discrimination by the law enforcement agencies in France is unfounded,” the ministry said in Paris on Saturday. Combating racism and all forms of discrimination is a political priority.

“Any ethnic profiling measures by the law enforcement agencies are prohibited in France as they violate the constitutional principle of equality,” the ministry said. The fight against the excesses of the so-called face checks has been intensified. The ministry also rejected allegations of excessive use of force by the French police. “The use of force by the national police and gendarmerie is governed by the principles of absolute necessity and proportionality and is closely monitored and controlled.”

UN denounces excessive police violence

After the recent riots following the death of a youth during a police check, the UN body issued a statement on Friday in Geneva on the situation in France and denounced excessive violence by the police and discriminatory checks based on racist aspects. France has been asked to review its legal framework on the use of deadly force by police.

Since the death of 17-year-old Nahel in a traffic stop almost two weeks ago, France has been shaken by serious riots and protests against police violence. There were repeated looting, arson attacks and violent confrontations between police officers and rioters. The officer who fired the fatal shot at the youth is being investigated on suspicion of manslaughter. The unrest has since abated. The concern, however, is that they will flare up again on the national holiday on July 14th.