People of all backgrounds in France celebrate defeat of far right but worry about rising hatred

2024-07-11 09:12:02

PARIS (AP) — For many French voters of all backgrounds, Sunday’s election results were a relief, an acceptance of the country’s ethnic diversity rather than a victory for far-right xenophobes.

“This is a joyful moment, light at the end of the tunnel,” Bensimon said of the poll results. On Sunday, she celebrated with thousands of anti-far-right opponents in Paris’ Place de la République, surrounded by a giant French flag made from scrap products that read “France is the foundation of immigration.”

“But the fight is not over yet,” said Bensimon, a 27-year-old black woman who works in communications. “We have to fight the racism we face every day, and it has become even more apparent in recent weeks.”

While the anti-immigration National Rally party came close to winning a majority in the National Assembly, it came in third place in Sunday’s election following centrist and left-wing groups joined forces. Some candidates competing for seats among the three candidates abandoned the second round in favor of the candidate most likely to defeat the far-right.

But civil society groups and concerned citizens say the campaign has left a legacy of racist hate speech and occasional violence that are unlikely to go away when the new parliament takes office.

Nacera Houngues, 61, a French-Algerian, said she first experienced abuse during the campaign because of her origins. Honges said that the day before the first round of elections in June, neighbors overturned her trash can, insulted her and spat on her during an argument.

“I was scared, very scared, something I had never felt before,” Onge said, fighting back tears.

She reported the incident to police the next day but said she was afraid to leave her home. She has lived with her five children and her French-Beninese husband in Chacrise, a quiet town north of Paris, for 37 years.

It is difficult to derive statistics on race and ethnicity in French society because the country does not count its population by race or religion under the principle of universalism without distinction of race.

For example, it was unclear whether more people of foreign descent turned out to vote on Sunday than expected, despite generally high turnout. Pollsters do not analyze voting patterns by ethnic group.

However, the Human Rights Commission reported a significant increase in reports of racist and anti-Semitic acts. The National Human Rights Advisory Committee reported a 32% increase in racist incidents in 2023 and an “unprecedented” increase in anti-Semitic behavior, which was a 284% increase compared with 2022.

According to the French National Institute of Statistics, at least one million people report being victims of racism every year.

Neither agency detailed the complaints by race or ethnicity, but the Human Rights Commission said France had become less tolerant of black people, Arabs, Roma, Jews and Muslims.

The committee pointed to national rallies as a key factor in encouraging hate speech but said other parties also contributed, such as activists close to the far-left French Insoumi party, which has been accused of anti-Semitism.

France’s famed Nazi hunter Serge Klarsfeld even urged voters to choose far-right parties over the country’s left-wing Alliance if they had to choose between the two options. “

For Dominique Sopo, leader of civil society group SOS Racisme, the figures reflect a particularly tense political climate.

He noted that the national rally has steadily gained support over the past decade, with the underlying message that “if the French attack immigrants and their children in some way (symbolically, legally)” then they will do well.

His organization recently filed a lawsuit following residents of a wealthy neighborhood west of Paris said they had received anonymous flyers with the message “Stop the Blacks.”

The diverse French population includes recent immigrants and generations of people of foreign ancestry, such as those from former French colonies in Africa. A 2022 study concluded that regarding one-third of French people under the age of 60 have immigrant ancestors, but the breakdown by place of birth is unclear.

Nonna Meyer, a leading expert on rallies across the country, said a surge in support for far-right parties in recent years has made people more willing to use xenophobic and anti-Semitic language in public.

“The country rallies to defend the France First strategy, which scapegoats foreigners and immigrants,” the mayor said. “Its success has encouraged racist behaviour, mainly verbal attacks.”

During the campaign, the national group singled out citizens with dual citizenship and said they should not be given some “strategic jobs”. One of the candidates, Roger Chudeau, said on television that the appointment of French-Moroccan Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, who held the post from 2014 to 2017, Being Minister of Education was a “mistake” which caused controversy.

President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist government has also tightened immigration controls, exacerbating anti-immigration sentiment, the Human Rights Commission said.

For Jessica Saada, a 31-year-old Tunisian-Jewish woman who works at a pediatric hospital in France, racism is more evident now than at any time she can remember. He said he opposed proposals put forward by national gatherings to ban the wearing of Islamic veils in public and outlaw animal sacrificial rituals, which would limit access to halal and kosher meat for French Muslims and Jews.

“This will only create problems and bring more hatred,” he said.

Still, many are looking at Sunday’s results with hope.

Thomas Bertrand, who works in advertising in Paris, said Sunday’s vote was regarding “individual freedom and tolerance and respect for others.”

School teacher Rachid Sabry said he came to France as a student decades ago and fell in love with the country.

“I started a family with a French woman and I had my doubts a few weeks ago,” he said. “I feel better now.”

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Associated Press reporter Nicolas Garriga in Paris contributed to this report.

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