in France, nine out of ten black people say they are victims of discrimination

Nine out of ten black people in mainland France say they are victims of racial discrimination in their everyday lives. This is revealed by the latest barometer of the Representative Council of Black Associations (Cran), which franceinfo and The Parisian reveal you exclusively Tuesday, February 14. This “everyday racism” is sometimes expressed in an almost imperceptible way.

>> SURVEY. Racism: 91% of black people feel they are victims of discrimination

It is in public spaces (the street or public transport) that this discrimination is felt the most, according to the black French respondents. In one year, in mainland France, seven out of ten people say they have faced disrespectful or contemptuous attitudes, believing that it was related to their skin color. “When I ask my route, I know that I will be judged because I am Black. People wonder if I have bad intentions. They do not even realize it and I see it in their eyes. They are full of prejudicessays Armel met in the streets of Paris.

Racist insults and ordinary racism

Armel is a sports coach, originally from Aisne, he grew up in Soissons. There were only three or four blacks in his school. He remembers jokes. “Little jokes. When we’re in the dark, we’ll tell you: smile, we’ll see you. It’s not mean, except it reminds you that you’re different. The child has no hindsight, he does not understand.” In Soissons, he says he suffered frontal racism. “I was told: ‘I’m not shaking your hand because you’re black’. And there they are not laughing. They were older, they were 18-19 years old and I was 12 years old. is that what marks”. Years later, Armel is disillusioned.

“I’m 22, I grew up in France. We learned to accept it. I accept it, and I think it will take a lot of effort for things to change. I may have to be hopeless.”

Armel, 22 years old

at franceinfo

Frank insults or ordinary racism. Laurie experienced it in Paris, it was with one of her teachers. “During confinement, we were all in video and everyone said that he was enjoying the garden”, she says. Laurie also has a garden and doesn’t take advantage of it. “because it’s not really his delirium”. His teacher then said to him: “Anyway, you don’t need to tan, you’re already black.” “Only she really made me feel this difference, said Laurie, but I don’t think she’s necessarily racist, just that she’s ignorant and a little dumb.”

Discrimination in work and hiring

A societal racism that also slips into work through small reflections. “You are made to feel like you are less intelligent”testifies Noélie who works in a crèche. “There are complicated parents. As soon as you have black skin, they don’t trust you too much to manage their children. They don’t say it but we feel it. If there are white colleagues, they treat us differently”. Two-thirds of respondents also say that their skin color has already prevented them from getting a job.

The survey also teaches us that black people are always checked twice as much by the police as the French population as a whole. Le Cran also shines the spotlight on the family rejection of several visible minorities: a third (31%) of French people say they would react “evil” if their child married a black person, or of the same sex (36%) and up to 46% if this person is of North African origin.