Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

FRANCE EXPLAINED

IN NUMBERS: What the French really think about race and racism

The recent riots have thrown back into the spotlight France's often complicated relationship with race and immigration - while a survey has illuminated some attitudes.

Published: 11 July 2023 16:58 CEST
IN NUMBERS: What the French really think about race and racism
A man holds a sign reading "Stop to racism" during a protest against racism in Paris, on March 19, 2022. (Photo by Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP)

The recent nights of rioting that rocked French towns and cities were sparked by an incident of police violence against a teenage French boy of Algerian origin. The anger that followed the death of 17-year-old Nahel was intensified by what seems to be an enduring pattern of police violence towards people of colour, especially young men.

And that’s not the only racial aspect to the social unrest – politicians on the right and far-right have been keen to make a link between the lawless violence of the riots and immigration.

When it was pointed out to the Senate leader of the right-wing Les Républicains party that actually very few rioters were immigrants, and in fact 90 percent of those who were arrested were French citizens, he responded that they were only ‘administratively French’ and the riots represented “a sort of regression towards their ethnic roots”.

His views are far from unique in France, and fuel the sense of some of the young people of colour in France’s poorer neighbourhoods that the country will never truly accept them, even if they, their parents and even their grandparents were born in France. 

Talking about race in France is made more complicated by the country’s ‘colour blind’ policy, which means that no official statistics are collected on race, ethnicity or religion. It means that, for example, it is impossible to officially prove or disprove the allegation that French people of colour are far more likely to be stopped by police than their white compatriots. 

READ MORE: ANALYSIS: Is France really ‘colour-blind’ or just blind to racism?

But France does, however, publish an annual report into attitudes to race – the national Commission on Human Rights takes stock of both acts of racism and xenophobia, as well as attitudes and behaviours in French society and compares it to previous years.

The report is compiled by combining data from France’s Interior Ministry and Justice Ministry with surveys on public opinion and analyses by research partners.

Here’s what the 2022 report shows;

Opinions

79 percent – The vast majority of those polled either agreed or strongly agreed that a “vigorous fight against racism is necessary in France”. This represents a 20 percentage point increase from polling in 2003. Members of traditionally right wing and far-right parties also agreed with this statement – in fact, 66 percent of respondents who said they were supporters of Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National party agreed the “vigorous fight” was necessary, and 64 percent who said they are ‘very right-wing’ said so too.

62 percent – Over half of the respondents said that they are “not at all racist”. Meanwhile, three percent responded saying that they consider themselves to be ‘mostly racist’.

46 percent – Almost half of respondents said that France does not “talk enough about the history of the slave trade”.

Over half –  Despite 62 percent of survey respondents saying they were not at all racist, over half – 53 percent – said agreed with the statement “there are too many immigrants in France”. Support for this statement increased by four percentage points when compared with 2021.

37.6 percent – The report found that 37.6 percent of the French public agreed with the statement “Jews have a special relationship with money”.

One-fifth – About a fifth, or 21.4 percent of respondents, said they believe “that the children of immigrants born in France are not really French”.

59.6 percent – Over half of respondents also agreed with the statement that “many immigrants come to France solely to take advantage of social security and protection mechanisms”.

49.3 percent – Anti-Roma sentiments were noticeably high throughout different portions of the survey – almost half of respondents said that they believe “Roma people live mainly from theft and drug trafficking”. 

Over two-thirds – 67 percent of respondents referenced the Roma people when describing a minority that is ‘apart from society’ and ‘not open to others’. This was almost double the number of respondents who saw Muslims as a ‘group apart’. 

A table showing statistics on minority groups perceived as ‘apart’ from society (Credit: La lutte contre le racisme, l’antisémitisme et la xénophobie, année 2022)

Three-quarters – When looking at traditionally Islamic practices and opinions about whether they can be ‘reconciled with French society’, 75 percent of respondents said that wearing a Burka would ‘pose a problem for living in society. Opinions were a bit more divided regarding the other attire for Islamic women. A total of 42 percent of respondents said that wearing the veil (voile) would pose a problem for living in society, while 45 percent said the same thing for wearing a headscarf (foulard).

Wearing a burka or garment with a full-face veil is currently illegal in France, while wearing a hijab or headscarf is not; although there are certain restrictions on wearing one. 

Respondents’ opinions on Muslim practices and norms, and whether they ‘pose a problem for living in society’ (Credit: La lutte contre le racisme, l’antisémitisme et la xénophobie, année 2022)

42 percent – Almost half of respondents also said they believe “immigration is the main cause of insecurity” in French society.

Crimes

As well as extensive polling, the study also uses law enforcement data to show the scale of the problems linked to racism and discrimination in France.

1,636 – The total number of racist acts recorded in 2022 in France by law enforcement. This represents a decrease from 2021, when there were 2,128 racist acts recorded. The acts themselves were separated into different categories: anti-Semitic in nature, anti-Muslim, and a general category for “Other racist and xenophobic and xenophobic incidents”.

91 percent – The percentage of people who self-identify as Black who said they are victims of racial discrimination on a daily basis in France. While the survey did not collect this data, it cited it from a previous study by the national organisation representing Black associations in France, which was published in February 2023.

22 percent – Between the years 2019 and 2022, there was a 22 percent increase in the number of anti-Muslim racist actions (from 154 to 188). These include both ‘offences against property’ and ‘offences against people’. About a third of the ‘racist actions’ involved threatening gestures, 19 percent resulted in property damage, and 18 percent involved anti-Muslim inscriptions and graffiti. Physical violence remained in the minority, at seven percent. When it came to locations, Muslim places of worship remained the primary target for hate actions.

44 – Out of 188 of the anti-Muslim actions recorded in 2022, 44 happened in the greater Paris Île de France region. After that, Hauts-de-France recorded 24 incidents and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes recorded 23 incidents. 

436 – The total number of anti-Semitic offences recorded in 2022, which represents a 26 percent decrease when compared to 2021 when 589 actions were recorded. Nevertheless, anti-Semitic actions remained a large share of the total number of discriminatory actions in France, representing almost a third (27 percent). 

8,195 – Overall, French law enforcement recorded 8,195 charges of ‘public incitement to racial hatred, racial discrimination or religious discrimination in 2022.

77 percent – Of the victims of crimes committed due to ethnicity, race or religion, 77 percent held French nationality.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

PARIS

What is ‘Paris Syndrome’ and are some nationalities more susceptible?

In the 40 years since it was first documented, psychiatrists have argued over whether it can truly be classified as an illness and whether certain nationalities are more vulnerable - here's your guide to 'Paris syndrome' (and how to avoid it).

Published: 27 May 2024 11:23 CEST
What is 'Paris Syndrome' and are some nationalities more susceptible?

What is Paris Syndrome?

Let’s start with the good news, it’s not infectious and there are no recorded fatalities.

Paris Syndrome is generally described as a culture shock experienced when foreigners arrive in Paris – it mostly affects tourists but can also be a problem for people who have moved here to live. It’s generally described as the shock experienced by people who have an idealised notion of Paris once they arrive and realise that it is just a city like any other – with crime, traffic, litter and other problems (along with a lot of good stuff, we should point out).

For most people this would simply be disappointing, but for some the shock is so severe that they can suffer from serious psychiatric symptoms.

Paris-based clinical psychologist Olivia Goto-Gréget told Le Parisien: “We can’t really speak of a pathology, but there are a number of well-documented symptoms, ranging from anxiety to malaise, which can sometimes lead to hallucinations or paranoid ideas.”

Other psychiatrists have reported panic attacks and delusional behaviour in people suffering from the syndrome.

The syndrome was first described in the 1980s by Hiroaki Ota, a Japanese psychiatrist based at the Hôpital Sainte-Anne in Paris’ 14th arrondissement.

He described seeing patients suffering from anxiety, depression, panic attacks and delusions, saying: “The disappointment linked to contact with the everyday reality [of Paris] is a factor in symptoms of incomprehension and anxiety, but also of disillusionment and depression.”

Although Paris Syndrome is the most widely reported, psychiatrists in countries including Italy and India have reported similar phenomena.

What causes it?

Most experts agree that it’s caused by a gulf between expectations and reality – it’s not that Paris is any worse than any other big city, it’s that people often have a highly romanticised view of it.

The city of Paris itself is definitely guilty of leaning in to this unreal vision, with its marketing suggesting that the entire city is clean, calm, well ordered and very romantic (a lot of marketing to tourists either implicitly or explicitly implies that you’re highly likely to have a love affair with a hot local on your visit).

TV shows and films are also often guilty of this, with Netflix hit Emily in Paris providing a highly idealised view of the life of a typical Paris-dweller.

However, there’s also a more general culture shock that can be difficult for visitors, especially non-Europeans.

“Waiting to be served on a café terrace, doing la bise [the French double-cheek kiss] shouting and crowds in the Metro – these are common in Paris, but are not always understood by some foreigners. They equate it with aggressive behaviour. Some visitors, particularly Japanese, still find it difficult to adapt to the French environment,” Goto-Gréget.

It’s also possible that someone might simply be being rude and aggressive towards you – that does happen in Paris despite progress in improving the city’s famously unhelpful service.

Are certain nationalities more vulnerable?

Paris Syndrome was initially thought to disproportionately affect Japanese tourists, but it’s now thought to be more widespread.

Hiroaki Ota, who first documented it, reported that most of his patients were Japanese, but Stéphane Quilichini, a French psychiatrist who has written about this syndrome, suggests that it’s likely that was simply because the psychiatrist was Japanese himself, spoke Japanese and was therefore a logical point of contact for suffering Japanese tourists.

Quilichini told Le Parisien that in his experience “we are all equal when it comes to pathology” but notes that non-French speakers are more likely to be affected.

He believes that the most likely indicator is having a history of psychiatric illness.

His colleague Goto-Gréget agrees, saying: “If there is a vulnerability, that can be reawakened abroad. Where people no longer benefit from the protection of their country or language.”

How to avoid it

They key to Paris syndrome appears to be a culture shock or disappointed expectations, so the more realistic the picture you have of Paris, the better.

This applies both to tourists and people who come to Paris to live – if you’re crippling shy you won’t suddenly become confident and outgoing in Paris; if you’ve been struggling to write your novel for 10 years it won’t magically come together just because you move cities; and a lifelong passionate romance with a sexy Frenchman/Frenchwoman is not guaranteed to everyone who spends more than a fortnight in the city.

Also, eating pain au chocolat and drinking wine will not magically make you slim – the slim Parisians are usually that way because they eat healthily and exercise.

Sorry. But it’s to be prepared.

READ ALSO How Parisians really stay in shape

There are a few things that you can do to prepare you for the real Paris – reading news sites about France (The Local, for example) will give you a good idea of the issues of the day, as will listening to podcasts made by people based here (The Local has the Talking France podcast, but there are lots of other options in English).

Romantic films about Paris are fun to watch, but don’t use them as research – we’ve put together a list of 9 TV series that will give you a more realistic view of modern France.

If you know anyone living in Paris, talk to them in advance about what the city is really like – not only will they give you helpful tips (bring comfortable shoes, avoid the Champs-Elysées) they will help prepare you for the real Paris. If you don’t have contacts here, you could try joining a couple of ‘expat’ groups on Facebook or other social media to see what people are talking about.

But don’t be put off visiting – here at The Local we all live in Paris and we love it, we also think the real city is a lot more exciting and interesting than the reheated romantic clichés . . .

READ ALSO The 10 best things about Paris that the movies never show

SHOW COMMENTS