Concern of the Islamic Republic for Human Rights in France

The Islamic Republic’s Concern for Human Rights in France

According to Iran Gate, the Islamic Republic’s concern for human rights in France stems from protests that have continued for several consecutive nights in various French cities. The unjustifiable and unacceptable violence has led to widespread destruction of public and private property, and the depth of the protesters’ hatred has caused public astonishment, for which there are clear reasons.

Understanding these reasons will not only lead to a comprehension of these protests but also provide immunity against the biased propaganda of governments like the Islamic Republic.

It is obvious that any protests in Western democracies bring joy to authoritarian regimes, including the Islamic Republic, viewing them as opportunities to validate themselves and settle scores with the West. As expected, in recent days, state media in Iran have eagerly covered the protests in France, attempting to portray the suppression of these protests as a normal and inevitable occurrence, even in Western democracies.

In such situations, state media of authoritarian regimes like Iran try to depict these protests as signs of the failure of Western countries, misleading their readers with deceptive reports by recounting problems from the perspective of French media and officials. For instance, the state-run newspaper Resalat claimed in a report on Saturday, July 1st, that the protests in France indicate the anger of French citizens towards state terrorism.

As the headline of this government newspaper’s report shows, the Islamic Republic tries to return accusations made by the international community, especially Western countries, against itself.

Moreover, Nizamuddin Mousavi, an extremist member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, has used this opportunity to equate the killing of Mahsa Amini with the killing of Nael, arguing that the protests against the Islamic Republic for Mahsa’s killing were unwarranted.

Another specific example of the Islamic Republic’s opportunism was during the French protests against pension reform when Iranian state media continuously reported on the failure of the French political system, claiming that these protests were against the very essence of the French system.

Meanwhile, during the Woman, Life, Freedom protests, the main demand of the majority of people and even protesting activists in Iran was the end of the Islamic Republic and regime change, including through a referendum. However, Iranian state media did not acknowledge this demand.

There is no doubt that Western societies, like other societies, have social problems, even chronic issues, but comparing these societies with countries under dictatorial regimes is a false comparison.

At least in Western societies, mechanisms for criticizing crisis situations are anticipated by experts and media, and no one is arrested or suppressed for expressing their opinions about protests, even in the midst of them.

Currently, many in Iran have been imprisoned or face other restrictions simply because they verbally supported the Woman, Life, Freedom protests.

What was the story of the French protests?

Regardless of the political exploitation and biased propaganda by governments like the Islamic Republic, what are the roots of the French protests? One of the most important reasons, which French media and experts have emphasized in recent days, is the country’s urban planning policies over the past decades.

It is true that France is a country of continuous protests and strikes, and the protests known as May ’68 have been widely praised and are memorable in history, but protests like those happening in France these days have less precedent.

French media, experts, and even politicians these days refer to the 2005 protests, which started in response to the killing of two teenagers and became symbolic of protests in the French suburbs.

These types of protests, often starting as a reaction to police or government official violence in low-income urban neighborhoods, are known as suburban riots. These neighborhoods, despite having a large population of teenagers and young adults, face high unemployment and drug trafficking rates. The first suburban riot in France dates back to 1979 in a suburb of Lyon, where residents rose against police harassment.

Although these riots appear to be reactions to government or police behavior, they are fundamentally protests against the living conditions in these suburbs. The urban fabric in which these citizens live is one of the elements that constitute these living conditions.

In fact, this unsound urban fabric, resulting from incorrect urban policies, is the main factor behind the disorders and deprivations that manifest during suburban riots.

The Problems of Suburban Living and Poverty

From the late 19th century, the French government began building low-rent housing for low-income individuals, a policy aimed at solving the homelessness issue of low-income or no-income classes. However, the buildings constructed, especially in the second half of the 20th century to implement this policy, were essentially just dense dormitories in poor suburbs, with other needs of an individual and family, including cultural, social, recreational, educational, and medical needs, either not considered or significantly underprovided.

For years now, thanks to media reports and expert evaluations, French officials have been well aware of this problem and have even started efforts to change the fabric of these areas, but it has not yet reached a level where it can eliminate the social issues of these regions.

Living in these buildings and neighborhoods, especially for teenagers and young adults, is unbearable given the inadequate facilities available to them, including schools with low educational quality. They see no future prospects for themselves. This is why the French Interior Minister has said that the average age of arrested protesters in the current French protests is seventeen.

Stéphanie Vermeersch, head of research at the French National Center for Scientific Research, one of the country’s most important research centers, told the French news agency that recent renovations have changed the appearance of many of these neighborhoods, but the same old situation still exists regarding schools, certain discriminations, and access to jobs.

In these neighborhoods, when a teenager goes to school or a young adult goes to university and sees people around them for whom school or university has opened no doors, they become disheartened about their situation. The current French Minister of Education is well aware of this problem and has initiated a plan to declassify French schools.

Consequences of Authoritarianism and the Ineffectiveness of Left-Wing Parties

Another reason for the current French protests, especially what reveals the intensity of the protesters’ hatred and violence, is the authoritarianism present in today’s French politics, which has emerged especially during Emmanuel Macron’s presidency.

Macron’s victory in the 2017 elections was the result of the weakening of the main parties in France, especially left-wing parties. The weakness of various parties and their disappearance from the decision-making arena was particularly evident in the recent issue of passing the pension reform law despite the opposition of the majority of the French people.

In this situation, especially low-income and vulnerable groups in society see themselves as abandoned, without representation or political power. The despair of these classes with the current political situation leads them to use every opportunity to protest to express their despair. In this situation, left-wing politicians, who can do little, only resort to intensifying their rhetoric.

Annie Fourcault, a prominent French historian, told the weekly Le Point about the current French protests that the situation is worse than the 2005 protests. She said that the collapse of the political party system we live in today has an indirect role. In 2005, some elements of respect still existed, but today everything is gone.

This situation has fueled division in French society. For example, when a French-born teenage girl was killed in France by an illegal immigrant from Algeria, many leftists and the same suburban youth remained silent or did not react as they are now reacting to the killing of Nael, an Algerian-born teenager.

Whatever the reasons for the French protests, the violence does not justify them. Moreover, these reasons should not be a cause for joy for authoritarian governments like the Islamic Republic but rather a warning bell.

The despair of young people, the feeling of abandonment, and the lack of political representation are the ingredients of anger and hatred that are eventually addressed in democracies, but in dead ends like the Islamic Republic, they may lead to regime change.