Cablegate: France: Racist and Anti-Semitic Acts Up Sharply In
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 002040
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
STATE FOR DRL AND OHI
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KIRF FR
SUBJECT: FRANCE: RACIST AND ANTI-SEMITIC ACTS UP SHARPLY IN
2004
1. (U) Summary: The National Consultative Commission on
Human Rights (NCCHR) stated that racist and anti-Semitic
incidents increased from 833 in 2003 to 1,565 in 2004. The
2004 figures eclipse the 1,313 acts registered in 2002 and
represent the largest number of incidents recorded in a
single year since the commission began tracking such
statistics in 1990, according to NCCHR's annual report titled
"The Fight Against Racism and Xenophobia," which was
presented to the Prime Minister on March 22. The report
indicates that racist incidents increased from 232 in 2003 to
595 in 2004 and anti-Semitic incidents rose from 601 to 970
over the same two years; however, the report noted that such
incidents decreased dramatically in the fourth quarter of
2004 and hoped the trend would continue into 2005. End
Summary.
Methodology
-----------
2. (U) The NCCHR -- an independent body in the Office of the
Prime Minister, which has nongovernmental as well as
governmental members -- admits that its numbers are not
exhaustive and only reflect available statistics at a given
time. Many acts may go unreported, and the motives of some
may be reclassified at a later date. The commission also
notes that these statistics do not include acts of
discrimination. With these caveats, the NCCHR explains that
it breaks down racist and anti-Semitic occurrences into two
categories: "actions" and "threats." It classifies "actions"
as acts against persons that require an ITT (authorization by
a medical doctor for a person to miss work for a certain
number of days based on severity of injury) or against
"property presenting a degree of certain gravity." "Threats"
include menacing words or gestures, graffiti, letters,
pamphlets, offensive demonstrations, and other acts of
intimidation.
Anti-Semitism
-------------
3. (U) The NCCHR reports that there were 970 anti-Semitic
incidents registered in 2004, a steep increase over the 601
in 2003 and greater than the previous high of 932 in 2002.
Of these occurrences, 200 were classified as actions and 770
as threats. Disturbingly, the number of anti-Semitic
incidents occurring in schools nearly tripled. The report
remarks that individuals of "Arab-Muslim background"
comprised 104 of the 209 individuals questioned for
anti-Semitic acts. The number of anti-Semitic incidents in
recent years is significantly higher than those recorded
during the 1990s, and the sharp up-tick beginning in 2000 has
often been attributed to the Second Intifada, the war in
Iraq, and other events in the Middle East. However, the
report notes that 2004's increase does not correlate to
current events and warns that "anti-Semitism is becoming
established in a continuous and lasting manner."
Racism and Xenophobia
---------------------
4. (U) The 595 racist acts (169 actions and 426 threats)
recorded in 2004 represent an increase of more than 150% over
the 232 committed in 2003. Many of these incidents took
place on the island of Corsica, where separatist elements are
blamed for xenophobic actions against immigrants, mostly of
North African descent. On mainland France, the police
attribute 44% of violent actions and 59% of threats to the
extreme right. The report also notes an increase of 251% in
the actions targeting Islam.
Re-emergence of the Extreme Right
---------------------------------
5. (U) While responsible for 90% of the acts between 1994
and 1999, extreme right activity, as a percentage of
occurrences, was 14% in 2002 and 18% in 2003. However, 2004
marked a resurgence in the extreme right, which was
implicated in 30% of the racist and anti-Semitic incidents.
The NCCHR noted a shift, remarking that right-wing elements
seemed to be targeting individuals of Arab-Muslim background
(292 acts) more often than those of Jewish origin (169 acts).
Desecrations
------------
6. (U) In 2004, there were 65 attacks on Jewish (32) and
Muslim (33) religious sites or cemeteries, desecrating 46
religious buildings and 485 graves, often with neo-Nazi
slogans or symbols. These numbers are up from 44 in 2003. A
quarter of these incidents took place in Alsace, which has
historical and geographic ties to Germany, and the NCCHR
posits that some of these desecrations may be linked to the
60th anniversary of World War II events.
Government Action
-----------------
7. (U) The report praises the government's actions in the
fight against racism and anti-Semitism, pointing to strong
and clear political leadership and the implementation of
concrete measures. Within the report, the Ministry of
Interior states that there were 334 individuals arrested in
2004, 209 for anti-Semitic acts and 125 for racist and
xenophobic acts. Furthermore, the Ministry of Interior sets
forth three priorities for 2005 in the report: a mobilization
of all government actors, with prefects putting into place
security plans and mayors providing additional protections
for religious sites and cemeteries; the further
implementation of the recommendations of last summer's Rufin
report; and the elimination of all groups that incite hatred
and violence, including breaking up neo-Nazi groups and
working with prefects and mayors to prevent hate groups from
being able to meet. The Ministry of Justice indicates that
95% of the legally actionable anti-Semitic incidents were
pursued. However, the NCCHR criticized the Justice Ministry
for a lack of information on judicial proceedings regarding
other forms of racism and commented that, despite adequate
laws and sensitized judges and prosecutors, effectiveness in
preventing racist and anti-Semitic incidents in 2004 was
weak.
Comment
-------
8. (SBU) The increase in racist and anti-Semitic incidents
in France had been well-publiziced throughout the year, and
the dramatic rise in the number of incidents outlined in the
855-page report did not come as a surprise. The escalation
is nonetheless worrying, particularly in light of intense GOF
efforts to fight the trend, including legislation passed in
recent years to increase penalties for hate crimes, expanded
protection for religious sites and cemeteries, numerous
tolerance and education programs, and vociferous denunciation
at the highest political levels of racist and anti-Semitic
acts. The French, to some degree, may be uncovering the
problem because they are fighting it. The Minister of
Interior points out that the rise in rates should be viewed
in the context of the recent emphasis on fully recording all
such events. In addition, the Ministry of Interior states,
victims have become more likely to make acts known to
authorities and heavy media attention has perpetuated a
copycat phenomenon.
9. (SBU) Comment Continued: The report also ponders the
paradox of rising incidents concurrent with national polls
that show French society improving in several key areas,
including becoming more sensitive to racism and
anti-Semitism, supportive of measures to fight all forms of
racism, and increasingly viewing immigrants as a "source of
cultural enrichment." (There was a decrease, however, in
those viewing Islam in a positive light.) The report does
point to the significant decrease in racist and anti-Semitic
acts in the last quarter of 2004, a trend that seems to be
continuing into 2005. End Comment.
Wolff