Study reveals police racism

PEOPLE who are of North African or black origin are respectively eight and six times more likely to be checked by the police than white people, a study has shown.

The study by the CNRS, France’s largest public scientific research body, is the first official study to show the extent of racial discrimination by the French police.

The study also shows that ethnic minorities are subject to more searches following on from being stopped for checks – black people were searched following identity checks in 10% of cases, North Africans in 12% and white people in 3%.

The study looked into 525 identity checks made by the police between October 2007 and May 2008 at locations in Paris.

“Police identity checks are mainly based on what people look like, not what they are doing,” says the report, which was funded by the Open Society Justice Initiative, a foundation created by American billionaire George Soros. It added people dressed in unconventional clothing, such as Goths or Punks, represented 47% of those checked.

Photo: Nicolas Bouillon