France Confronts an Age-Old Problem: Revisiting ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’ in the Wake of New Riots

France has long cherished the lofty ideals of “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity,” which are prominently displayed on coins and above school entrances throughout the country. However, these principles are far from the reality experienced by some individuals in France’s Black and brown communities. This dissonance became painfully evident when a shocking video emerged, showing a police officer shooting and killing a 17-year-old delivery driver of North African descent during a routine traffic stop.

For many who belong to these communities, the sight of that young driver, Nahel, stirred a deep sense of identification. They recognized that it could have easily been them, their children, or their friends in that tragic situation. In response, the flames of anger and revenge ignited rapidly, illuminating the night skies of Nanterre, the Paris suburb where Nahel was declared dead. The unrest quickly spread throughout more than 200 cities and towns, with arson attacks, clashes with the police, looting, and other forms of chaos becoming commonplace over six consecutive nights.

This recent wave of riots has forced France to confront a recurring issue that has plagued the nation since the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s: What is preventing significant segments of the population, particularly non-white individuals, from fully embracing the promise of equality and fraternity?

The root causes of the problem are multifaceted, encompassing both long-standing and newly emerging factors. They include racism deeply ingrained within the police force and society at large, exacerbated poverty due to rising costs related to conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, decades of neglect in urban areas, breakdowns in familial and marital structures, and the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The younger generation, whose education has been disrupted by virus-related restrictions and school closures, has actively participated in the unrest, engaging in acts of violence, theft, and vandalism while relishing the chaos on social media platforms.

Yazid Kherfi, who dedicates his time to driving between housing projects and counseling young people on avoiding the path of crime and incarceration, perceives the violence as a cry for help from a generation that feels abandoned and unvalued. Despite displaying a quote from Martin Luther King advocating for unity on his minivan, Kherfi frequently hears young people lament that they are unfairly targeted by the police due to their skin color.

Acknowledging the severity of the issue, French government officials, including President Emmanuel Macron, swiftly condemned the actions of the officer involved in Nahel’s death. Macron labeled the shooting as “inexplicable and inexcusable.” However, addressing racism and its associated challenges becomes complicated when the country’s official policy embraces color blindness and restricts data collection on racial and ethnic matters. Nevertheless, the glaring inequalities persist, with statistics from France’s official statistical agency revealing disproportionately high death rates among immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abel Boyi, the leader of a group called “All Unique, All United,” which seeks to reconcile young people with France’s republican values, criticizes the government’s colorblindness as a hypocritical stance that dismisses discrimination. Boyi encounters individuals from diverse backgrounds who face employment rejections due to their foreign-sounding surnames or unfavorable addresses. While Boyi recognizes the legitimacy of the anger driving the riots, he believes that the chosen method of violence is misguided.

The graphic nature of the video capturing Nahel’s death played a crucial role in fueling the rapid spread and intensity of the riots. Similar to the impact of George Floyd’s killing in the United States, these images raise questions about the potential

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