What the death of Remy Fraisse teaches us
Is it that some racially privileged white people must experience the atrocities that unprivileged non-whites live on a daily basis for the French society to be moved to show concern regarding some of the injustices in French society? Remy’s case shows once more that nothing has changed much since the Second World War.
It is funny to see how sometimes the same story can be perceived differently. I was back in the nineteenth district of Paris for some few days, last week. It was without surprise that I could still witness the direct signs of the catastrophic situation of the French economy, as it took me an hour and forty-five minutes to be served at the local post office. But what worried me more, though, were the protests and demonstrations that had been taking place for weeks in different cities across France. Paris, Toulouse, Nantes and in many other cities, for days, images of urban disorders, and even riots, were broadcasted on the green screen of every household in the ‘Hexagon’. The calm of the streets of Paris as that of many other cities was repeatedly disturbed. The demonstrations that had been organized and taking place around the controversial construction of web has since been overwhelmed with reports, comments and in some few occasions ‘coming-outs’ from former police officers admitting irregularities when it comes to the respect of citizens’ rights from the police in France. But what should we conclude knowing that these are the very facts that most youngsters of ethnic minority backgrounds have been denunciating for years in vain? Their case has never been heard. Organizations and collectives mainly initiated by youngsters of Black and North African origins such as Stop le contrôle au Faciès, Urgence notre police assassine and others, have for a long time pointed out the death of Zyed and Bouna, Larami and Moushin, Lamine Dieng, Mahamaou Marega, Abou Bakari Tandia, and that of many others, as police blunders, without receiving any sincere coverage in the French mainstream media.
The question has the merit to be asked: Is it that some racially privileged white people must experience the atrocities that unprivileged non-whites live on a daily basis for the French society as a whole to be moved to show compassion and concern regarding some of the injustices and atrocities affecting the French society? Remy’s case shows once more that nothing has changed much since the Second World War. Police violence, in France today, seems to be only perceived as a serious issue when the victims are whites; just like in 1939-1945, when the whole world suddenly became conscious of the devastating consequences of racial and racist theories after some white people had for the very first time experienced what they usually and commonly inflicted to black and brown people. It is through such events as Rémy Fraisse’s murder that the history lessons taught in the schools of the ‘Republique’ appear illusionary. France’s principles of Liberté, égalité and Fraternité are null and void when we give a close look at the realities experienced by some individuals in society.
* Dr Moustafa Traore is a French citizen who’s recently moved to the UK. His blog is at www.anopeneye.org
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