Human Rights Violations

FRANCE-The sale and purchase of sexual acts, or prostitution, is illegal in France, but this does not mean that Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) has been violated, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) concluded on Thursday. Why did the European Court uphold the prostitution ban? There was a unanimous decision in the case M.A. and Others v France. 261 petitioners in all filed complaints against Law No. 2016-444 of April 13, 2016, which sought to make prostitution illegal in France.

FRANCE-In the French legislative elections, the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) emerged victorious in a sudden run-off, defeating the far-right National Rally (RN) in third place and placing President Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance in second. Can Le Pen's populism shake Muslim faith in France? France was forced to grapple with ongoing political uncertainty as the parliament was expected to be divided into three blocs, none of which could form an absolute majority on its own. After withdrawing almost 200 candidates from the second round in an

FRANCE-Leader of the far-right Rassemblement National (RN), Jordan Bardella, mentioned only a handful of "black sheep." Stated differently, a small number of RN-nominated candidates for the parliamentary elections whose positions did not align with the party platform.  What's behind the rise of far-right MPs in France? But for the time being, Bardella has been silent on the specific identities of these troublesome candidates, the specific charges that they would be made, and his plans for investigating the subject. Nonetheless, a number of media sources, such as

FRANCE-The results of last Sunday's parliamentary election, which seemed to embrace the nation's ethnic diversity rather than give the far-right, xenophobic forces a win, were a relief to many French voters from a range of backgrounds. Will France's far-right regroup? Loven Bensimon remarked of the election results, "It was a moment of joy, a light at the end of the tunnel." She celebrated on Sunday in the Place de la Republique in Paris among hundreds of other protestors against the extreme right, gathered around a massive

FRANCE- French police shot and killed a suspected shooter in New Caledonia on Wednesday, increasing the total number of casualties from over two months of turmoil in the French Pacific colony to ten. Was the police shooting justified in New Caledonia? Police had been called in to remove obstructions in the Mont-Dore neighborhood outside Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia, when the man was shot and killed. According to a person familiar with the matter, as the police were being fired upon, the individual was killed

FRANCE-A human rights commission research in France discovered that anti-immigration beliefs promoted by the country's far-right are fueling an increase in racism throughout the nation. Is France doing enough to combat rising racism? According to the research, there has been a 284 percent increase in antisemitic attacks since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 of last year, and tolerance is "declining towards all minorities." Ahead of the weekend's first round of crucial elections, which saw the far-right National Rally (RN) win the majority, a study was

FRANCE-The customer strolled by the young candidate seeking votes in France's intense and high-stakes parliamentary election amid market booths piled high with fresh food, but she stopped and turned around to voice her concerns to Shannon Seban. Can France's Jewish candidate overcome hate and division? The 28-year-old candidate, who is Jewish and claims she is increasingly experiencing antisemitism, finds what transpired next to be heartbreakingly familiar in the context of the campaign. Prior to Sunday's first round of voting, Seban got into a furious argument with

FRANCE-Amidst intense campaigning ahead of early legislative elections, anti-racism organizations joined French unions and a newly formed left-wing alliance in protesting the far-right nationalist movement that is on the rise throughout the country. Why are hundreds of thousands protesting in France? According to France's interior ministry, officials expected between 300,000 and 500,000 protestors nationwide on Saturday, with some 21,000 police and gendarmes stationed at demonstrations. Before marching, many in Paris who were afraid that the elections might result in the formation of the country's first far-right

FRANCE-The reported sexual assault of a 12-year-old Jewish girl in what is believed to be an antisemitic incident has shocked the entire country and elevated antisemitism fears in the run-up to the parliamentary elections. How is antisemitism shaping the French election campaign? After attempting to distance itself from antisemitic past, the anti-immigration National Rally party is leading in pre-election polls and might form a government for the first time if it wins the two-round elections that conclude on July 7. Since the Nazi occupation, it would

PAIRS-White patrons at two well-known clubs can pay up to ten times less for admission, according to the French NGO SOS Racisme. Are Paris nightclubs practicing racial pricing? According to a recent discrimination test, two well-known Parisian nightclubs charge varying fees based on the skin color of its patrons. The French daily Mediapart first made this discovery. Mediapart journalists were present at two popular nightclubs in the affluent 16th arrondissement of the French capital, L'aQuarium, which is adjacent to the Trocadero, and L'Arc Paris, which is