France Has Collapsed | Major Changes Explained

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There are different reasons for the riots in France, depending on the time and location of the protests. The most recent riots occurred in July 2023, after a 17-year-old boy named Nahel was shot dead by a police officer during a traffic stop in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris¹². The shooting sparked outrage and anger among the youth and minority communities, who accuse the police of racism, brutality, and impunity²³. The riots spread to other cities across France, involving violent clashes, fires, and vandalism²³. President Emmanuel Macron condemned the police’s actions as “inexplicable and unforgivable” and held an emergency meeting to restore peace³.

However, the Nanterre incident was not the first or the only cause of riots in France. The country has a history of social unrest and protests over various issues, such as pension reforms, climate change, working conditions, and political corruption⁴³. Some of the previous riots include:

• The 2020 riots over a bill that would restrict filming police officers, which many saw as a threat to civil liberties and accountability¹.
• The 2017 riots following the alleged rape of a black man by police in Aulnay-sous-Bois, another Paris suburb¹.
• The 2014 riots over the Israeli-Gaza conflict, which involved pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators¹.
• The 2013 riots over the Muslim veil, which were triggered by a law banning face-covering garments in public places¹.
• The 2005 riots in the suburbs of Paris and other cities, which were sparked by the deaths of two teenagers who were electrocuted while hiding from police in an electricity substation¹.

The French riots have been influenced by and have influenced other events and problems in Europe and the Muslim world, such as immigration, integration, terrorism, and identity¹⁴. They also reflect the deep-rooted social and economic inequalities, discrimination, and marginalization that many people face in France’s suburbs (banlieues), where poverty, unemployment, crime, and poor public services are prevalent¹⁴³.