The charges are punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros. The association SOS Racisme filed a complaint with the court in Grasse (Alpes-Maritimes) this Friday against two private beaches in Antibes Juan-les-Pins, which it accuses of racial discrimination.
“We unfortunately found that some beaches do not respond the same thing according to the origin of the couples who show up, and therefore we obviously concluded that there was discrimination based on the real or supposed origin of the people”, has indicated Dominique Sopo, the president of SOS Racisme.
“We were told it was full”
Ten beaches in Juan-les-Pins had been tested during an operation carried out on July 30, including six that were not complete. “Over of them, people of North African origin or people of sub-Saharan origin were refused while white people, so to speak, were able to return,” he added. .
“Each time, when we wanted to order a mattress, we were told that it was full or that it was on reservation”, testifies Redouane Halgand, 18, activist of SOS Racisme who had participated in this discrimination test on the Côte d’Azur and lodged a complaint on an individual basis.
The Grasse public prosecutor’s office indicated that it had received a letter from the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture transmitting to it the report of SOS Racisme, specifying that this letter was “under study” and that the association’s complaints were going there. be joined.
Reactions against the “structural racism” of our society
In this type of case, “the requirements of evidence are exorbitant and therefore it rarely goes as far as conviction”, believes Dominique Sopo, who also deplores the “lack of sensitivity” of the investigation services.
In July, the online media Loopsider filmed the hidden camera test of SOS Racisme. The video, which today totals 10 million views, had aroused during its broadcast on August 9 many reactions from left-wing elected officials rebelling against “structural racism” in our society.
During this operation, other establishments were tested in Perpignan, Aix-en-Provence and Marseille. If no discrimination was found in the first locality, a private beach and a bar in Marseille, as well as a nightclub in Aix-en-Provence, have been pinned down and SOS Racisme is also preparing a complaint against them. .