Paris: Will French citizens be able to celebrate July 14 in a spirit of national unity after being shaken by several days of urban violence following the death of Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old boy killed by a police officer at a traffic stop in Nanterre?
The celebrations are set for July 13 and 14, just like they are every year. The president of the republic will attend a military parade on the Champs-Elysees, and this year's special guest will be Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There will also be balls, a massive classical music concert on the Champ-de-Mars that will draw tens of thousands of people, and fireworks.
The national holiday will be observed this year amid particularly tense social conditions following several days of rioting. There is anxiety within the French government that calls for protest on social media or outbursts of violence in the suburbs could derail it.
Also Read: FTC Drops Bombshell: Halts Microsoft's Mega Acquisition of Activision
Gerald Darmanin, the interior minister, announced extraordinary measures to ensure the security of the celebration on July 12 during a press conference. These included the deployment of 130,000 police officers and gendarmes with armoured vehicles, helicopters, and drones as well as the suspension of public transportation beginning at 10 p.m.
William Leday, a historian and professor of international relations at Sciences Po Aix, responded when asked about the chance to use this national holiday as an occasion to create a form of social cohesion: "A national holiday is a unique moment that invokes the history and founding myths of a nation. It is intended to be a peaceful occasion where the head of state can make a powerful statement to the nation.
Also Read: PM Modi Becomes First Indian PM to Receive France's Highest Civilian Award
"July 14 would be a suitable date to calm nerves and announce strong measures aimed at categories of French citizens who no longer feel part of the national narrative, which the president has not done thus far given the current context of urban violence following Nahel's death. His remarks have centred on the alleged parental responsibility and social media, ignoring the social issue and discrimination, which are at the root of the current unrest.
Do the recent riots reveal a rift in French society or do they highlight a persistent issue with immigration? Leday stated that migrations are structural factors that have an impact on modern societies and are predicted to rise. Building actual, administrative, or digital barriers only serves to further obscure the existence of those who frequently had no choice but to flee their home countries because of war, natural disasters, or widespread underdevelopment.
"Migrations have enriched a society that has become multicultural, whether they were at first Italian, Polish, or Spanish or later postcolonial migrations from African countries," he continued. Although many politicians bemoan the multiculturalism of French society, it is still a definite and well-established fact from a sociological standpoint.
Leday continued, "A significant portion of the population who are French by birth and whose presence in the country is now established (second or even third generation) do not feel a sense of belonging to the country because of their skin colour, their religion, and the ex
She urges the adoption of a long-term strategy centred on national harmony to address this. "To respond to inequalities, we have no other answer than national unity," she said, pointing out that "the population of immigrant origin feels wounded" following "the tragedy of Nahel's death and those of other ignored deaths. It is political to express anger by taking to the streets.
She regrets that repression and a tightening of the law were chosen as the response.
clusion they encounter in the media and political representation.
Also Read: El Nino is threatening rice crops after the Ukraine War disrupted grain supplies
The national narrative is now incomplete and fails to account for a sizeable portion of citizens who only ask to participate, in addition to the social question, which is still unresolved for many French men and women.
"Social and educational inequalities lead to extreme suffering or delinquency," claims psychiatrist and author Fatma Bouvet de la Maisonneuve, a former member of the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council and author of the book "Une Arabe en France, une vie au-dela des prejudges" ("An Arab in France: A Life Beyond Prejudice").