Those who have dismissed the recent wave of urban violence in France as yet another suburban riot are suffering from acute socio-political short-sightedness. Admittedly, the spark that ignited the violence is reminiscent of previous riots following police blunders that cost the lives of young people from the suburbs, as was the case in October 2005, after the deaths of Zyad and Bouna in Clichy-sous-Bois. Except that, unlike the 2005 riots, the recent urban violence cannot be blamed solely on the suburbs.
Social networks have certainly facilitated communication and the sharing of information between young people living on housing estates during the latest outbreak of violence. Hence the rapid spread of acts of destruction and looting throughout France. But Nahel’s death was merely a pretext for settling scores with French society, which is accused of being responsible for all the ills suffered by young people of immigrant origin. Hate messages against the host society had already been circulating on the web for a long time. And on Facebook, Telegram, TikTok and Twitter, Islamists and other extremist groups are working day and night to use these networks of discord for propaganda and recruitment purposes, or to incite minors and young adults to smash, loot and set fire to all the symbols of the Republic.
Professor of criminology at the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts, author of numerous works on Freemasons, crime and terrorism, consulted by politicians of both the left and the right, in France and the United States, on all security issues, Alain Bauer is a key player in the fight against the destabilisation of societies.
According to the French Ministry of the Interior, 357 clashes between gangs were recorded in 2020, an increase of almost 25% compared to the 288 recorded in 2019. In March 2020, the government declared a general mobilisation against brawls between young people, after several fatal brawls, particularly in the Ile-de-France region. An emergency: every 44 seconds, according to an INSEE survey, a gratuitous violence is committed. A complaint is filed every two minutes!
