France “contests the remarks which it considers excessive” and “unfounded” of a committee of UN experts who had heavily criticized this Friday the management by the police of the riots which shook France. The UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (Cerd) had urgently adopted a declaration denouncing “the excessive use of force by the police”.
France calls for “more discernment”
He also asked Paris “to adopt legislation that defines and prohibits racial profiling”. On Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded forcefully that “any measure of ethnic profiling by the police (was) prohibited in France”, ensuring that “the fight against the excesses of so-called ‘faciès’ controls (s was) intensified”.
“Any reported discriminatory behavior is followed up, and when proven, an administrative or judicial sanction”, adds the text, which argues that the police officer who fired the fatal shot that sparked the riots ” was immediately brought to justice and is charged with intentional homicide”. According to the Quai d’Orsay, “the forces of order in France are subject to a level of internal, external and judicial control such as few countries know”.
France invites the Cerd “to show more discernment and moderation in its remarks, of which it regrets the partial and approximate nature”. She expresses her “incomprehension in the face of the lack of solidarity and compassion with regard to the elected officials or representatives of French institutions who have been the subject of attacks (…) as well as with regard to the 800 police officers , gendarmes and injured firefighters”.
The death of young Nahel, killed by a policeman during a traffic check, sparked nights of riots across the country. The urban violence that followed, unprecedented since 2005, cast a harsh light on the ills of French society, from the difficulties of working-class neighborhoods to the stormy relations between young people and the police.
France, a “State of Law”
Cerd said it was deeply concerned about “the persistent practice of racial profiling combined with the excessive use of force in law enforcement, particularly by the police, against members of minority groups, including people of African and Arab origin”.
In its press release, France recalls “that it is a State of law, respectful of its international obligations and in particular of the International Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination”. “The fight against racism and all forms of discrimination is a political priority,” says the ministry.