A Bullet Changing Society: The Realities France Must Confront

A bullet not only stopped the heart of a 17-year-old youth but also the heart of a nation. All of France witnessed the young life brutally and prematurely ended, as streets turned into a battlefield filled with anger and mourning. But does this incident merely represent a reaction to police violence, or does it signify more? Actually, this week, I was planning to address the economic impacts of the Feast of Sacrifice and the newly announced minimum wage figures. However, these sudden events compelled me to investigate this tragedy and the ongoing societal incidents. Let's look at these events from a different perspective.

Let's turn our eyes to the 1950s for a moment, when the devastation of war was still present, and France was struggling with independence wars in its vast colonies under the yoke of the exploitation empire. The war had paralyzed the labor force, and labor had become more valuable than gold. In order to keep the system running, cheap labor was needed. People from Eastern and Southern Europe began flocking to France to fill this gap. However, the hunger for labor was so immense that thousands of immigrants from Turkey and former colonial states, which were enemies during the independence wars, flooded into France. By the 1960s, immigrants made up 6% of the French population. This rate increased over the years, and according to official figures, approximately 11% of the current population of 67 million is made up of immigrants.

At the beginning of this wave of immigration, due to the majority of immigrants being of European origin, the proportion of Muslims among immigrants was quite low. Over time, this situation changed significantly. In the 1960s, only one-fifth of immigrants identified themselves as Muslims, whereas today this ratio has risen to one in every two immigrants. The spread of different religions and cultures in mainland Europe, and especially in France, gave birth to new faces of fear - Islamophobia and racism. In the 1960s, while the proportion of ethnic French in the French population was at 94%, the racist party had only a 5% vote share, which equates to only about 5.2% even within ethnic French. However, today, the racist party has become the second party in the presidential elections with a 23% vote share and has advanced to the second round of the election. In fact, this rate reaches up to 32-33% levels even within ethnic French. Victor Hugo had beautifully stated, 'Our differences are the proof of our unity.' but this unity is increasingly under threat.

Of course, this rise resulted in consequences such as the banning of the headscarf in schools at the turn of the century and the restriction of Muslims' rights, which gradually put impoverished immigrant communities under the influence of radical Islam.

Economic hardships were also increasing. In 2018, a minimum wage worker was netting an income of 1,185 Euros, but rapidly rising oil prices were making life unbearable for those on low incomes. All that was needed was a spark for people, and with rapidly increasing fuel prices, the spark was ignited. The Yellow Vests movement began in November 2018 with the explosion of this spark. The protesters were against the French government's plans to increase fuel taxes and the cost of living. However, this movement quickly turned into a general act of dissatisfaction with economic inequality and France's democratic process. France's streets filled with yellow vests became the symbol of a public rebellion against increasing economic pressures. As Albert Camus said, 'Injustices in a country threaten the country's internal peace, and where there is injustice, there is no order.’ People started fighting for justice and their stolen futures as indicated in these words, and they succeeded. As a result of their resistance, they managed to get the government to accept most of their demands, if not all.

However, as time passed, the gains of 2018 were gradually eroded by the pandemic and the high inflation wave that followed immediately. Just like Mahsa Amani's murder triggered anti-government protests in Iran, the death of 17-year-old Nahel M. caused the explosion of accumulated anger. What they were protesting there was not just the killing of a 17-year-old child. They were protesting being oppressed, marginalized, otherized, and turned into modern slaves for years. As in 2018, they took to the streets because they had lost. Of course, as in every social action, radical groups also intervened here, and there were those who resorted to illegal and violent ways such as looting and arson. However, as Mahatma Gandhi said, 'You do not have to defeat if you fight with the enemy's weapons.’ No unlawfulness should legitimize another unlawfulness.

As long as the economic differences between underdeveloped and developed countries are this vast, it's not necessary to be a prophet to say that this migration movement will increase at an even higher speed. Besides, if we continue to overlook the fact that each individual is a person with the same rights to life and just see them as mere statistical numbers, it would not be too difficult to predict that these problems will escalate. Hannah Arendt said, 'No one can be subjected to injustice anywhere in the world because injustice reigns everywhere.' This saying applies to all people, whether they are French or immigrants.

Therefore, for all underdeveloped countries, particularly in Africa, instead of just sending money to IBAN for food aid to appease our conscience when we think of it, we should think about how to provide them with education, about uplifting those areas rather than exploiting them. After all, as Victor Hugo said, 'To educate every child is to change the world.' I know how hard this is, but we must also consider that the alternative is more poverty, more racism, and more conflict.

We need to give up inciting tribes who don't even know what they're fighting for, but with their fighting, enrich the arms barons. We should sustain these efforts firstly for them, but afterwards for all of humanity. Let's remember the unforgettable words of Martin Luther King Jr.: 'If we don't learn to live together, we will all die together.' If we learn to live together, perhaps we can build a bridge between different ethnic groups and beliefs.

Of course, I think there are a few things to be said about a savage who could shoot a 17-year-old child without even blinking an eye, and those who think like him, but I cannot find appropriate words. I believe all we can do for this young brother of ours is to pray. I hope justice is served.

That's all from me for this week, I hope what I've written has been useful. Until we discuss a new topic next week, take care.