Macron in crisis: Fear of unrest on France’s national holiday

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To put the hard pension conflict with massive protests behind him, he had set up a 100-day program with improvements in various political areas. For weeks, ministers traveled through the country with announcements and Macron had released a first balance sheet for the national holiday. But after the suburban riots sparked by a police shot, the country is in crisis.

Some cities have canceled the traditional fireworks display on July 14 for security reasons. Tens of thousands of police officers are expected to nip fears of new unrest in the bud that day. Helicopters and armored vehicles are deployed. Contrary to Macron’s plans, the political debate is not so much about groundbreaking reforms for France as more control over rioters, migration issues and the desire to invest billions in the banlieues. On July 17, parliament will consider an emergency law that will allow cities hit by riots to quickly rebuild and renovate.

After a police officer fatally shot a 17-year-old during a traffic control near Paris more than two weeks ago, there had been great unrest in France for days. Officials were attacked with fireworks and public buildings such as police stations and schools were set on fire. Thousands of cars burned out. The damage is estimated at a minimum of 650 million euros. The unrest subsided. But the concern is that they will flare up again for the national holiday.

But is France hitting its biggest outburst of suburban violence since 2005? Are there any police officers pointing their guns at an unarmed youth? Despite the riots, the priority was to restore peace and order. Macron and the government were quick to talk about misconduct by the deployed officials. The police as a whole defended them. They also emphasized that the vast majority of residents of the suburbs had nothing to do with the unrest and were affected by it themselves. There was talk about the responsibility of the parents of the rioting youths and about the role of social networks, which helped fuel the unrest.

Meanwhile, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) denounced excessive police brutality and discriminatory racial controls in France. “Any allegations of racism or systemic discrimination by law enforcement agencies in France are baseless,” the Foreign Ministry countered. A government spokesman said the riots, known abroad as “French riots,” are not a typical French problem. So far, the government has failed to respond to demands for police reform, such as those from the left wing political wing and a trade union.

After implementing the pension reform, Macron actually wanted to get out of the popularity slump and has been trying to gain new political momentum since April. Without an absolute majority in parliament, governing has been difficult for his camp over the past year. His plan was to set the agenda again with action in key policy areas – health, education or migration. There was also talk of a government reshuffle. But then Macron was driven. He had to cancel the state visit to Germany and instead of beautiful photos against the background of Bellevue Palace, those of the burning French suburbs went around the world.

The deep rifts in French society resurfaced during the riots. The problems of isolated suburban residents, often migrants and their descendants, known for decades and who, according to a recent survey, still feel discriminated against, must finally be addressed, some called for. Others demanded that rioters of other nationalities be stripped of their French passports. Meanwhile, the mayor, residents and businessmen were tearing their hair out in despair over the devastation.

Social and national cohesion is still very important to the French, according to an Ipsos survey presented on Tuesday. Respondents mentioned the values ​​of the republic, freedom, equality and solidarity, as well as tolerance and democracy, as important. Often the shared hope is the end of wars and the end of poverty and social inequality – at least the last two points are directly related to the situation in the country.

(SDA)

Source: Blick