What are the French protesting?

Last week saw France in the grip of another wave of mass protests which swept across the country following the killing of 19-year-old Algerian-French teenager Nahel. The boy was a resident of Nanterre, a working-class town on the western outskirts of Paris that became the epicentre of unrest and chaos.

Only a few months after it witnessed massive protests over pension reforms, France once again erupted with anger. The protests continued for more than one week despite a crackdown and appeals of calm by the French police.

Incidents of violence and looting were also reported from different parts of the country. The use of force hurt the cause of the protesters and allowed the French government to use force. The violent tactics usually become counter-productive.

Protesters set fire to cars and public buildings. The burning of school buildings, theft in shops and malls, and damage to public property should never be used as tools of struggle. The police clashed with angry protesters to clear the streets and to stop the spread of protests. They have arrested more than 3,000 protesters so far on different charges.

The current wave of protests is the third against the Macron government, which has been marred by continued protests and strikes. The first wave known as the ‘Yellow Vest Movement’ erupted in 2018 and lasted for many months. It was triggered by a huge increase in fuel prices and deteriorating economic conditions. The protesters were not happy with Macron’s neoliberal economic policies.

The second wave of mass protests and strikes erupted against the controversial pension reforms in March/April 2023 and lasted for weeks. Millions of workers, young people and pensioners took part in the strikes

The current wave of protests has been triggered by police brutality and rampant racism in French society. There is widespread anger among Arabic and Black French communities against racial profiling, police repression and institutional racism. The cost-of-living crisis, high youth unemployment, rising inequality and deteriorating economic conditions are also fuelling anger and discontent.

Cuts on social spending have forced the local authorities to close or limit public services. The current economic situation is the real reason behind one revolt after the other. The French desperately want to end the decade-long neoliberal onslaught on wages, living standards, pensions, public services and labour rights. This latest outrage occurs at a time when the Macron government is already weak, fresh off the back of a powerful struggle against his unpopular pensions ‘reform’.

Paris-based American journalist Lee Hockstader in his column published in the Washington Post on July 1 writes: “In a recent survey of Black and mixed-race residents of France, nine in 10 said they had encountered racial discrimination, and roughly half said they had been stopped and asked for their identification – more than twice the share of the overall population who reported the same thing. In the first months of the [Covid-19] pandemic lockdown, a survey by Reuters found that in France’s five departments with the greatest percentage of immigrants, police issue fines at a rate more than 50 per cent higher than elsewhere in the country.

“Such routine racial profiling is a quotidian reality for millions of residents who, even if they were born in France or have lived here for decades, often are made to feel not fully French. For years, researchers have documented discrimination in hiring and schools and on the streets”.

Police shootings in France have been on the rise since 2017. Thirteen people who did not comply with traffic stops were fatally shot by the French police last year. This year, another three people, including Nahel, died under similar circumstances.

The deaths have prompted demands for more accountability in the police force. Several experts believe that such incidents are a direct result of the law loosening restrictions on when officers can use lethal force against drivers. Such restrictions were lifted after a series of terrorist attacks using vehicles.

Race was a taboo topic for decades in France, which is officially committed to the doctrine of colourblind universalism. We are seeing increased resistance and anger against elitist policies and politics. The people have shown their discontent and opposition. President Macron represents the interests of the French elite, and the French feel abandoned by the ruling elite.

The neoliberal economic policies of free market, liberalization and globalization have increased the economic and political power of the ruling elites. Wealth concentration and means of production in the hands of a few have not only created more inequality and class divide but also strengthened the position of the ruling elite in society.

This inequality has also hampered the use of advancement and innovation in science and technology for the benefit of society although scientific and technological advancement and innovation has for the first time in human history made it possible to provide basic needs and services to the people.

And yet no one is ready to accept the simple fact that the flawed policies and exploitative and repressive nature of the economic and social system has created the conditions in which poverty, inequality, exploitation and deprivation, anger and discontent flourish.

It is not surprising that the gap between the rich and the poor has widened to unprecedented levels. Simultaneously, the gap between the interests of the ruling elites and the needs of the working people are growing at a fast pace.

The writer is a freelance journalist.