One year after riots, French political deadlock leaves promises unfulfilled – Technologist

“We must first take the time to qualify the events before drawing conclusions.” On July 2, 2023, a week after the death of 17-year-old Nahel, killed by police gunfire in Nanterre, French President Emmanuel Macron told his ministers of his will to understand these nights of rioting and find a solution. More than a year on, no significant response has been forthcoming, and the dissolution of the Assemblée Nationale on June 9 has suspended the few efforts that were being made. “We have a feeling of unfinished business. We’ve been left to our own devices on a number of issues,” deplored Alexandre Touzet (Les Républicains, right-wing), who heads the delinquency prevention working group at an organization representing local authorities.

Rehashed measures

After the urban riots, the government kept a particularly low profile at the Interministerial Committee for the City held on July 1, 2023, and the National Council for Urban Renewal (CNR) held on October 5, 2023. Local elected representatives and organizations left these meetings disappointed, as they failed to yield any major announcements. “The CNR did have one merit,” explained Fabien Jobard, a sociologist specializing in the police, who attended the council: “It forced the government to confront officials who were not in a ‘law and order’ mindset.” Two months earlier, Macron explained that he had drawn a first lesson from the riots: “order, order, order.”

It was four months after the events, on October 26, 2023, that then prime minister Elisabeth Borne unveiled her battle plan. Behind the firm stance, there were a few “avenues for reflection,” but few entirely new announcements. One of the main ideas was to sanction parents who “neglect their educational duties,” by imposing parental responsibility courses or community service. Another measure was to step up surveillance of young delinquents, possibly by calling in the army. The plan also included granting judicial powers to municipal police, such as access to certain police databases, and allowing social media accounts to be suspended for six months if they share violent content or incite violence.

Following Borne’s departure from Matignon on January 9, a number of ministers took up the baton. In April, Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti announced his intention to present a bill on “parental responsibility and the penal response to juvenile delinquency” before the summer. However, three months and one dissolution later, there has been no news of this bill.

As far as the municipal police are concerned, despite several meetings in April and May within the framework of a conference, bringing together unions, associations, ministries and elected officials, the issue remains unresolved. It is hampered by the police unions’ persistent demands on pensions and salaries. As for social media, Parliament passed a law in May aimed at securing and regulating the digital space, but the suspension measure proposed by Borne was not included.

You have 56.36% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.