MCDS, Pazapas, REAJI and (RE)Claim present observations to the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance to inform its interim monitoring on racial profiling

August 16, 2024.

Along with French partners, MCDS, Pazapas, and REAJI, (RE)Claim submitted their expert analysis and observations to the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) to inform its interim monitoring on France’s compliance with its recommendation to put in place measures to end discriminatory identity checks. In its sixth country report on France, published on 21 September 2022, ECRI had singled out this recommendation for priority implementation by the French authorities and a special interim monitoring process.

We informed the Committee about the absence of any steps by the French authorities to develop relevant measures. We highlighted the continued refusal of the authorities to recognize the systemic nature of the problem, a position that places sole blame on individual officers, demonstrating wilful misunderstanding of the problem and its scope and obstructing development of relevant measures. A systemic problem requires systemic solutions, in this case addressing laws, regulations, policies and institutional practices and culture. Our submission shares recommendations and detailed explanations about a minimum set of measures necessary to address the problem.