Thousands of people will participate this Saturday in various demonstrations against systemic racism and police violence, in several French cities, called by more than 150 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), unions and political parties.
The so-called United March comes after a police officer shot a 17-year-old boy in June, a situation that immediately sparked protests that lasted for several days.
The vice president of the Bordeaux Human Rights League, Manuel Dias Vaz, stated, in statements to TSFwho will participate in the march, among other things because he believes that racism is rooted in French society.
“France, since the 19th century, has been a country very affected by racism and anti-Semitism. This is something chronic, we cannot say that it was only the death of this young man that caused it. In France, there is an anti-racist movement “It is very important that there are certain periods of affirmation – it was in 1983 with the march of young people from the neighborhoods and today there are, at the level of Europe, and especially in France, laws proposed by the Government authorities, which are completely racist laws,” he warns. .
The sociologist also refers, for example, to “the law currently being debated on the practice of immigration” and accuses the French Minister of the Interior of making racist statements.
“The statements of the French Minister of the Interior, which proposes that social housing organizations expel the families of criminals, is an extremely racist and unfair directive,” he considers.
The Pope, who is visiting Marseille, France, called this Friday for countries to welcome migrants with open arms.
“Pope Francis is an illustrious figure who, in this regard, has had exemplary attitudes and speeches. That is why a part of French Catholics also joins the demonstrations and the fight against racism. But in France there has always been a great component of the Church that has always been on the side of the progressive forces in the fight against racism, especially in the Protestant Church, but also in the Catholic Church,” explains Manuel Dias Vaz, who adds that in France, cases of racism against immigrants are, in part, out of fear.
“The entire European democratic system is contaminated, because the old continent, which is our Europe, is aging,” he laments, stating that “racism has a greater impact on older people than on young people.” The vice president of the Bordeaux Human Rights League also denounces that, in modern societies, young people have been excluded from the political scene.
“Young people are not very present, neither in the institutions nor in the political apparatus. The problem is that this component of the population, which is anti-racist, does not have power or is not in the institutions of power. Those who lead “In the countries there are people between 40 and 80 years old. Young people and some women are further removed from the exercise of power and that is what creates those gaps between a part of society and then the behavior that directs us, “she argues.
Manuel Dias Vaz therefore identifies three types of racism: “There is social racism, political racism, especially from the National Rally – the great far-right party – which is important in France, as in other European countries, and systemic racism. or institutional. Racism, which comes from institutions, which is the most dangerous, because it is more difficult to combat than other types of racism.”
30,000 police officers were mobilized for this Saturday’s demonstrations.
Source: TSF
