France on Saturday challenged the “excessive” and “baseless” comments of a United Nations (UN) panel of experts, which on Friday criticized the police’s handling of the riots that rocked the country.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD Committee) has issued a statement denouncing “the use of excessive force by law enforcement officers”.
In the statement, the Paris commission called for “passing legislation that defines and prohibits racial discrimination”.
In response, the French Foreign Ministry says this Saturday that “any measure of ethnic profiling by law enforcement officials is prohibited in France”, and assures that “the fight against the abuse of so-called ‘face checks’ has been intensified”.
“Any reported discriminatory behavior will be followed up and, if proven, subject to administrative or judicial sanctions,” the text adds, noting that the police officer who fired the fatal shot that sparked the riots “was immediately taken to court and is now charged with voluntary manslaughter”.
According to French diplomacy, “law enforcement in France is subject to a level of internal, external and judicial control that few countries have”.
In the statement, the ministry also invites the CERD committee to “show more discernment and moderation in its comments, which it regrets are one-sided and approximate” and also expresses “incomprehension about the lack of solidarity and compassion towards the elected officials or representatives of French institutions that were attacked (…) and to the 800 injured policemen, guards and firefighters”.
The death of young Nahel, killed by a police officer during a road check, sparked nights of unrest across the country.
The ensuing violence, unprecedented since 2005, has highlighted the problems in French society, from neighborhood squabbles to stormy relationships between young people and law enforcement.
The CERD Committee expressed concern about “the continued practice of racial profiling coupled with the disproportionate use of force by law enforcement, particularly by the police, against members of minority groups, particularly people of African and Arab descent.”
In the communiqué, France reiterated that it is “a state governed by the rule of law that respects its international obligations, in particular the International Convention for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination”.
“The fight against racism and all forms of discrimination is a political priority,” the French ministry said.
Source: DN
