Mass march held in Paris to protest racism
Thousands of people have attended a rally in the French capital, Paris, to protest against continued discrimination and social harassment of minorities and ethnic groups.
The Saturday march saw people from across France coming to Paris to call for "dignity" and mark a decade since the deaths of two youths sparked nationwide riots.
Participants descended on northern Parisian district of Barbes and called for “justice, reparation, unity.” They said that they want to bring into light the “increasingly deplorable social conditions and the harassment and humiliation of local people (which) constitute daily life for black people, Arabs, Roma and working class white people.”
In 2005 riots broke out after the two youths were electrocuted at a power substation on October 27 in the northern Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois, which has a considerable population of migrants.
The deaths came as the police were investigating a reported break-in at a building site in the neighborhood. That sparked nationwide protests which lasted for three weeks and prompted an unprecedented crackdown by the government. A state of emergency was declared and 6,000 people were reportedly arrested by the police in what many saw as a manifestation of simmering resentment against discriminatory policies affecting the poor and the colored-skin minorities in France.
“Today in France, if you don't have the right skin color ... you can die at the hands of the police," said an organizer of the rally, identified as Amal Bentounsi, who said her brother was killed by a policeman in 2012.
“They stigmatize and disdain people from working class districts,” Bentounsi said.
The rally was called by women’s group Mafed and backed by Angela Davis, a civil rights campaigner from the United States as well as anti-racist and anti-discrimination associations in France.
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