News / France

Hate speech, racism-triggered violence on rise in France: CoE

Tuesday, 01 March 2016 5:44 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 01 March 2016 5:43 PM ]

A refugee carries his belongings as French riot police secure the area during the partial dismantlement of the camp for migrants called the "jungle", in Calais, northern France, February 29, 2016. ©Reuters

The Council of Europe (CoE) has voiced concern about the high level of hate speech in France and violence motivated by racism in the country.

In a report released on Tuesday, the CoE's Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) warned of “a substantial rise in hate speech and above all violence driven by racism and intolerance, resulting in several incidents involving attempted murder.”

Speaking on the occasion of the publication of the report, CoE Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland said hate speech has become “commonplace in the public sphere,” urging politicians to stop making remarks that fuel tensions in the French society.

The report recorded a surge in Islamophobic violence across the country.

“Although it was drafted before the November 2015 attacks in Paris, the report contains recommendations to the French authorities which are fully relevant today,” said ECRI’s Chair Christian Ahlund.

On November 13 last year, assailants struck at least six different venues in the French capital, leaving 130 people dead and over 350 others wounded.

People gather in front of a makeshift memorial in Place de la Republique square in Paris, France, on December 13, 2015, a month after the Paris terror attacks. ©AFP

France introduced a state of emergency following the horrendous assaults claimed by the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group.

New measures adopted under the state of emergency empower the police to keep people in their homes without trial, search houses without judicial approval and block suspicious websites. They also ban public demonstrations and allow authorities to dissolve groups inciting acts seriously affecting public order in France.

Elsewhere, the ECRI report noted the high level of under-reporting of racist crimes, budget cuts earmarked for integration policies and gaps in law criminalizing hate speech in France.

Last February, CoE Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muznieks issued a report, warning that the French were becoming more and more racist.

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