Police shooting of teen reveals institutional racism in France
LONDON (AA) – The shooting of a 17-year-old by police in a Paris suburb and subsequent protests raised concerns about institutional racism in France, experts say.
The teenager, Nahel, was of Algerian and Moroccan descent.
Salman Sayyid, a professor at the University of Leeds, said the shooting was a sign of institutional Islamophobia and racism in France’s criminal justice system.
“I think it (Nahel’s killing) is a sign of institutional Islamophobia and institutional racism in the French law enforcement system, in the French criminal justice system, and in the French state itself,” he told Türkiye’s Anadolu news agency.
He called it dangerous not only for Muslims but for society itself. He said that the erosion of civil rights will affect everyone.
He stressed that fighting Islamophobia is essential to protect people’s rights. Sayyid also said that there is an alarming phenomenon of the spread of Islamophobia in the EU.
“I think what is happening in France is dangerous not just for Muslims and other ethnic or marginalized groups, but for society itself because the erosion of civil rights and the erosion of sort of democratic rights will affect everybody,” said Sayyid.
He said the burning of the Quran and the banning of groups that oppose racism or advocate for Palestine are manifestations of this trend.
“These are supposed to be countries which value and champion human and civil rights globally and within their own borders,” said Sayyid.
He said such acts by European governments is actually “an attack on even their own understanding of liberal values.”
To reverse this trend, great efforts by many people are needed, he said. He called for building a broad, united coalition against xenophobia and Islamophobia.
As a reminder, Nahel, a French teenager, was shot dead by police on June 27 after they stopped him in Nanterre, a working-class suburb of Paris.
Police claimed Nahel tried to run them over, but videos of the incident show he was not behind the wheel of the car and posed no danger to officers.
The shooting has led to protests in Nanterre and other cities in France. Hundreds of people have been arrested.
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