Europe Rights Court Condemns France Over Police Racial Profiling
Europe's top rights court on Thursday condemned France over "discriminatory treatment" against a Frenchman who accused his country's police of racial profiling.
The ruling comes after rights groups accused France of widespread racial profiling, and several prominent police brutality cases involving young men perceived as black or North African.
The European Court of Human Rights found no discrimination in the case of five other French plaintiffs.
But it said the government had provided no "objective and reasonable justification" for police stopping Karim Touil three times in 10 days in the eastern city of Besancon in 2011.
The court said it was "very aware of the difficulties for police officers to decide, very quickly and without necessarily having clear internal instructions, whether they are facing a threat to public order or security".
But in the case of Touil, born in 1991, it presumed "discriminatory treatment" that the French government was not able to refute.
However, the court added that the legal and administrative framework for identity checks in France did not reveal any "structural failure".
It ordered the French state to pay Touil 3,000 euros ($3,500) for breaching the articles of the European Convention on Human Rights on the prohibition of discrimination and respect for private life.
Slim Ben Achour, lawyer of the six plaintiffs, called the ruling a "victory".
"The French state must take responsibility and change the way it carries out identity checks," he said.
France's rights ombudswoman reported Tuesday that identity checks had increased from 2016 to 2024, including for people who were older or seen as white.
But, a report from her office added, young men "perceived as Arab, black or from North Africa" were four times more likely to be stopped than the rest of the population.
They were 12 times more likely during the police stops to be subjected to more severe measures including being frisked, it said after a survey of more than 5,000 people.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International last year said racial profiling was "widespread throughout the country and deeply rooted in police practices".
HRW said young men and boys perceived as black or Arab, some as young as 10, were often subjected to "abusive and illegal identity checks".
The ECHR is Europe's top human rights court and serves as a court of last resort in cases where all domestic avenues are exhausted.
The plaintiffs in Thursday's ruling were part of a group of 13 men from different parts of France who had gone to court more than a decade ago in their home country.
They accused police of unjustified stop-and-searches, sometimes including being patted down, talked to disrespectfully or insulted.
A lower court threw out their case in 2013, but the Paris appeals court in 2015 found in the favour of five of them.
France's highest court, in a historic first, condemned the state in three cases.
Six others then lodged a case with the ECHR, leading to Thursday's ruling.
Several police brutality cases have made headlines in France in recent years.
A French court earlier this month said a policeman would be going on trial next year over the 2023 killing of a teenager at point-blank range in a Paris suburb, which sparked days of protests against police brutality and riots.
The police initially said Nahel Merzouk, 17, had driven his car at the officer and his life was in danger.
But a video showed two officers standing next to a stationary car, with one pointing a weapon at its driver.
In another rare case of police brutality making it to court, a judge last year gave suspended jail sentences to three officers after a black man suffered irreversible rectal injuries during a stop-and-search in 2017.
The officer who was found guilty of delivering the truncheon blow that injured Theo Luhaka received a 12-month suspended prison sentence and was banned from working on the streets as a police officer for five years. A French court last year handed three officers suspended sentences over a stod-and-search that left Theo Luhaka with rectal injuries AFP The 2023 killing of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk at point-blank range in a Paris suburb sparked days of protests and riots AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
a day ago
- DW
German government shows cracks over nuclear energy – DW – 06/28/2025
The economy minister attended a meeting of EU states using nuclear energy, even though Germany shut down its last reactor in 2023. The environment minister was quick to insist Germany will stick to its nuclear phaseout. It was only a relatively petty dispute over the organization of an EU event in Brussels. And yet, revealed how differently Economy Minister Katherina Reiche — of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) — and Environment Minister Carsten Schneider — of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) — think about renewable energy, climate protection and nuclear power. In mid-June, Reiche was looking for a way to spend the evening in Brussels after a long meeting with her EU counterparts. There were two options: a meeting with representatives from countries that want to continue to expand renewable energies, and a meeting with pro-nuclear states. Twelve of the 27 EU states operate nuclear power plants, with France having the highest proportion — 55 reactors. Reiche ultimately attended the meeting of these countries, even though the government of former Chancellor Angela Merkel moved to phase out nuclear energy after the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan. Germany's last power plant went off the grid in spring 2023. The fact that Reiche nevertheless chose to attend the meeting with the nuclear countries angered her SPD colleague. Schneider is officially responsible for nuclear safety in Germany as the environment minister, including issues relating to the interim and final storage of nuclear waste. "We have decided to phase out nuclear power. This has also been accepted by society," Schneider said. Officially, Germany is focusing on transitioning to renewable energies, and a large proportion of its energy is now generated from wind or solar power. "There are no further commitments [to the nuclear industry], nor will there be any," said Schneider. The disagreement between the Economy Ministry and the Environment Ministry on nuclear energy issues was already apparent. At the end of May, Reiche said in Brussels that she was "open to all technologies" when it came to energy production. The specific trigger was a joint paper by the governments in Paris and Berlin, which stated that the energy policy in both countries would be implemented "based on climate neutrality, competitiveness and sovereignty." In other words, according to the wishes of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, all forms of energy are to be promoted in the EU as long as they are low-emission. In France, this applies above all to the many nuclear power plants. In fact, nuclear power plants emit little or no greenhouse gases during operation and are therefore considered climate-friendly by their proponents. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The dangers of the technology lie in controlling the nuclear chain reaction and the nuclear waste it produces, which remains radioactive for many thousands of years. According to the EU treaties, each member state has the right to choose its own energy mix. There is also likely to be more disagreement between Reiche and Schneider on the issue of new gas-fired power plants. Shortly after taking office, the CDU minister announced plans to build 20 new gas-fired power plants. The previous government had also announced new construction to compensate for the often-fluctuating supplies from solar and wind power — but not in such large numbers. This is also a cause for concern for Schneider, who is responsible for meeting Germany's climate targets. In mid-May, the German government's expert council on climate issues warned that the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2045 must be backed up by a truly concrete plan from the government. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The economy and environment ministries have often clashed on issues of climate protection and energy policy. At the moment, the government's climate goals are being helped by the rather weak economy and the resulting lower production, especially in industry, according to the council. A member of the panel, Marc Oliver Bettzüge, director of the Institute of Energy Economics at the University of Cologne, told the newsmagazine : "At this point in time, it is not clear how the federal government intends to achieve the goal of climate neutrality by 2045." Building new gas-fired power plants is likely to make this plan even more difficult. Although gas-fired power plants emit less greenhouse gases than coal-fired ones, 20 new plants would jeopardize the climate you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.
DW
2 days ago
- DW
Has Israel-Iran conflict changed the Middle East? – DW – 06/27/2025
The ceasefire between Israel and Iran seems to be holding. Other countries in the region maintain ambiguous attitudes towards the 12-day war and would prefer stability to regime change, or even picking sides. It seems that the most dangerous phase of the current Israeli-Iranian conflict has passed. The ceasefire agreed to on Monday, under US President Donald Trump, has so far remained stable despite some ruptures. With this, Middle Eastern states are utilizing the pause to consider the conflict and its consequences. It seems that many of the countries in the region had one objective in common with regard to the fighting between Israel and Iran: Maintaining ambiguity. For example, Jordan expressed its condemnation of Israeli attacks on Iran along with 20 other Arab and Muslim-majority countries in a public statement. But at the same time, its air force prevented Iranian rockets and drones from flying over Jordanian airspace towards Israel. The Jordanians say they did this to protect their own citizens. Saudi Arabia also signed this statement, but is thought to have allowed Israeli planes into its airspace to shoot down Iranian projectiles. Stefan Lukas, founder of the Germany-based consultancy, Middle East Minds, previously told DW he believes that the Saudis also shot down Iranian missiles themselves, over their country, although there have been no verified reports about this. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Both Jordan and Saudi Arabia have a complex relationship with Israel, involving public criticism but behind-the-scenes cooperation. Both also rely on military cooperation with the US for their defense and Jordan also receives financial aid from the US, to the tune of $1.45 billion (€1.25 billion) in annual bilateral foreign assistance. This makes Jordan one of the countries receiving the most in US foreign aid in the world. Ukraine, Israel and Ethiopia are other major recipients of US aid money. At the same time, though, both countries are interested in maintaining stability in their own region — and that means maintaining a balanced relationship with Iran. That balancing act will continue to shape regional foreign policy, especially in the Gulf states, says Simon Wolfgang Fuchs, an associate professor of Islam at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The Gulf states have seen how Iran has lost its potential to threaten them as much, Fuchs told DW, as they've seen how Iranian proxies — including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq — have been weakened. The Syrian state under dictator Bashar Assad, which formerly supported Iran, is under new leadership and also no longer an Iranian ally. "Against this background, naturally it seems sensible from the Gulf states' perspective to make an approach to this weakened — but still very important actor — in the region," Fuchs argues. "They have no interest in the regime there being weakened, let alone its overthrow and the chaos that would result. Jordan takes a similar position to that," he explained. In fact, some of Iran's neighbors seem more interested in preventing the fall of the current Iranian regime. "The question remains: Who would rule the Islamic Republic of Iran next?" Marcus Schneider, who's based in Lebanon and heads the Friedrich Ebert Foundation's regional project for peace and security in the Middle East, wrote for Berlin-based political magazine, International Politics and Society. "In the country, there isn't really any organized opposition, for understandable reasons — neither political nor armed [opposition]. In exile, there are two groups who are ready — the monarchists and the People's Mujahedin of Iran." But for both groups, their effectiveness and potential popularity with the Iranian public would be questionable, Schneider said. Egypt's position is just as ambiguous. Egypt's government welcomed the ceasefire between Iran and Israel and announced it would continue to make diplomatic efforts with the goal of finding a long-term, lasting solution to regional crises. Egypt must also find a careful balance, Fuchs explains, because it too is so dependent on US military aid. This balancing act came out into the open again due to recent events. Cairo has regularly rejected any plans that mean accepting expelled Palestinains. "On the other hand, the Egyptian government has also done everything possible not to anger the Israelis and the US," Fuchs noted. "For example, by thoroughly halting the Gaza solidarity march that came from Tunisia on June 14, including attacking international activists, and not allowing them anywhere near Sinai." Egypt's Sinai region borders Gaza, and on June 10, a land convoy of around 1,500 pro-Palestinian activists and more than 100 vehicles crossed into Libya from Tunisia on their way to Gaza. Other marchers in Egypt, who planned to join the procession, were attacked by Egyptian security forces on June 14 near a checkpoint in the north-eastern city of Ismailia. Many were then deported. Egypt obviously wants to avoid any complications in its relationship with the US. The two nations have agreed to cooperate on fighting terrorism and to securing Egypt's borders against unrest in Libya, Sudan or the Gaza Strip. Egypt also gets a huge amount of military aid and receives around $1.3 billion annually from the US. That seems unlikely to change as the US, under President Donald Trump, has yet to comment on Egypt's disastrous human rights situation under autocratic leader, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. All the countries in Iran's neighborhood are aware of the importance of maintaining a balance between their partners. "A weakened Iran could be contained and tamed," Schneider wrote. "On the other hand, a country that's cornered, severely battered and fighting for survival is unpredictable." Fuchs adds that another thing has also become clear: The current US administration's course is irritating large parts of the Middle East. "President Trump, with his foreign policy and the use of social media, is throwing all certainties out the window," Fuchs argued. "I really doubt the US will focus attention on the Middle East in coming years. Israel and Iran are exceptions. There's very little interest in further interventions and the US' focus will inevitably shift to east Asia."
Int'l Business Times
2 days ago
- Int'l Business Times
China's Top Diplomat To Visit EU, Germany, France Next Week
China's top diplomat Wang Yi will head to Europe next week for talks with counterparts from the European Union, Germany and France, Beijing said on Friday as it seeks to shore up fraught ties with the bloc. Beijing has sought to improve relations with Europe as a counterweight to superpower rival United States, though frictions remain over trade and China's close ties with Russia despite its war in Ukraine. China and the European Union will also host a summit next month marking 50 years since Beijing and Brussels established diplomatic ties. Wang's trip will take him to Brussels, France and Germany and last from next Monday to Sunday, Beijing said. "The world is undergoing an accelerated evolution of a century-old change, with unilateralism, protectionism and bullying behaviour becoming rampant," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said -- a thinly-veiled swipe against the United States under President Donald Trump. China's top diplomat will meet with EU counterpart Kaja Kallas at the bloc's headquarters in Brussels for "high-level strategic dialogue", he said. In Germany he will hold talks with Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on diplomacy and security -- his first visit since Berlin's new conservative-led government took power in May. China looks forward to "strengthening strategic communication, enhancing pragmatic cooperation, and promoting new developments of the China-Germany comprehensive strategic partnership," Guo said. Ties between Berlin and Beijing, he added, were "injecting certainty, stability, and positive energy into a turbulent world". In France, Wang will meet minister for Europe and foreign affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, who visited China in March. "Foreign Minister Wang Yi will exchange views with the French side on the international situation, China-France ties and China-Europe relations," Guo said. And in Brussels Wang will also hold talks with Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever and Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot, Beijing said. Ties between Europe and China have strained in recent years as the bloc seeks to get tougher on what it says are unfair economic practices by Beijing and the yawning trade imbalance between them. Last week, the European Union banned Chinese firms from government medical device purchases worth more than five million euros ($5.8 million) in retaliation for limits Beijing places on access to its own market. The latest salvo in trade tensions between the 27-nation bloc and China covered a wide range of healthcare supplies, from surgical masks to X-ray machines, that represent a market worth 150 billion euros ($176 billion) in the EU. In response, China accused the EU of "double standards". Another tricky point has been rare earths. Beijing has since April required licences to export these strategic materials from China, which accounts for more than 60 percent of rare earth mining production and 92 percent of global refined output, according to the International Energy Agency. The metals are used in a wide variety of products, including electric car batteries, and there has been criticism from industries about the way China's licences have been issued. China has proposed establishing a "green channel" to ease the export of rare earths to the European Union, its commerce ministry said this month.
