The trial which opens this Wednesday in Paris begins in a context of international mobilization against racism targeting Asians. – Andrej Ivanov / AFP
- On the evening of October 28, the day of the announcement of the second confinement by Emmanuel Macron, many racist messages and calls for violence against the Asian community were massively relayed on Twitter.
- An investigation was opened for “public provocation to commit an attack on the physical integrity of a person, of a racist nature” a few days later by the Paris prosecutor’s office.
- For the associations mobilized in this affair, this trial bears witness to a real “Taking into account by the public authorities of the gravity of these facts”.
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On October 28, 2020, the ax once again fell on the French. To cope with a second epidemic wave, Emmanuel Macron announces the establishment of a new containment throughout the territory. Targeted by an outbreak of xenophobia and racism since the start of this health crisis, Asians were the subject that evening of a particularly virulent hate campaign on social networks. “It’s going to go in the 13th Chinese hunt”, “We stop the manga, now it’s the hunt for Asians, the bridles there, the yellow dog eaters” can we read on Twitter.
These messages, massively relayed, are immediately reported. At the same time, several anti-racist associations are mobilizing and complaints are filed. A few days later, the Paris prosecutor’s office opened an investigation for “public provocation to commit an attack on the physical integrity of a person, of a racist nature”. After four months of investigation, the trial of five Internet users suspected of being at the origin of some of these publications is to open this Wednesday before the 17th chamber of the Paris Criminal Court. A “historic” audience greet the associative actors.
Rapid mobilization
“It was really violent. There were very explicit calls for murder, ”recalls Daniel Tran, vice-president of the Association of Young Chinese of France (AJCF). “The tweets clearly incited to make ratonnades”, adds Sun-Lay Tan, spokesperson for the Safety for All committee. To stem the violence expressed on social networks, the two associations decided to launch an appeal to Internet users to report all hate messages to the Pharos platform.
At the same time, supported by lawyers, the AJCF is putting online a model complaint for public incitement to hatred, violence or racial discrimination. “One of the accounts behind these posts was followed by thousands of people. It was absolutely necessary to stop the dissemination of these messages, ”adds Me Soc Lam, the lawyer for the association of young Chinese in France. The five men prosecuted will have to answer this Wednesday of public insult of a racist nature and provocation to commit a crime or an offense.
“In less than six months, the authors of some messages have been identified and will be tried. It is incredible, for us it is the sign of a true taking into account of the gravity of these facts by the public authorities ”, welcomes the spokesperson of the Committee Safety for all. For the vice-president of the AJCF, who is due to become a civil party at the hearing on Wednesday alongside many other anti-racist associations, this trial also has a “symbolic” dimension: “Just by judging these facts, it shows that we cannot write just anything on social networks. Online impunity must end ”.
A racist word that has been exacerbated for a year
In France as elsewhere, the appearance of Covid-19 has had the effect of exacerbating this anti-Asian racism. In May 2020, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres denounced “a tidal wave of hatred and xenophobia, the search for scapegoats and alarmism”
and called on governments to “act immediately to strengthen the immunity of our societies against the hate virus ”. An observation shared by French association activists. Appointed last February at the head of the Interministerial Delegation for the fight against racism and anti-Semitism (Dilcrah), Sophie Elizeon also denounces “more violent manifestations of hatred against people of Asian appearance” since the beginning of the health crisis.
An “acceleration” effect to be compared with the intensification of the mobilization of the targeted citizens, analyzes Soc Lam: “The arrival of the virus served as a pretext to release this xenophobic speech. Racism against Asians has always existed, but our elders said nothing. Today, 2nd or 3rd generation French people of Asian origin are fed up ”. More structured, these associations are now inspired by actions carried out in the wake of the #MeToo or #BlackLivesMatter movements to denounce the discrimination suffered by the Asian community: “There has been a liberation of the victims’ speech, they dare to speak and give evidence. complaint. In my opinion, this trial is historic because it fits into this context, ”concludes Sun-Lay Tan. To make their voice heard, the associations have already called for a rally at 1 p.m. this Wednesday on the forecourt of the judicial tribunal.
