“We're going to tear you away”: racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism… on the beaches of Occitanie, discrimination doesn't take a vacation

Les touristes n’échappent pas aux discriminations. ILLUSTRATION UNSPLASH. – Artem Beliaikin

SOS Racisme alerte sur la banalisation de la xénophobie depuis les élections des mois de juin et juillet 2024. Alors qu’augmentent les agressions racistes et antisémites en France, les touristes en vacances dans la région n’échappent pas à la haine.

The beach, the sun, the laughter… a real pleasure. In Grau-du-Roi, there are many tourists this summer to enjoy the 39 °C forecast. The seaside resort is packed. The terraces are full. A young woman is quietly sipping a cold drink, seated not far from the sea.

"I'm sick of these Arabs! You see, I want to grab her by the hair and bang her head on the table", says a man, pointing to the vacationer. This report is one of dozens received by SOS Racisme since the beginning of the year.

No summer break

“And it's been worse since June 9, with the European elections, the early legislative elections,…" , says Esther Mbikinkan, who runs the association's offices. In Agde, at the beginning of the month, another attack caused a lot of talk. "We are Nazis, we vote RN, next time we'll pass. We're going to tear you away!", before doing a Nazi salute.

It's certain that the context doesn't help. And again, adds the member of the association, "people only testify when they are very shocked. But the smallest attacks, the everyday ones, are not reported".

What does the law say ?

It is always good to remember that racism is punishable by law. Far from being an opinion, it is an offence included in the Penal Code. The law of 13 July 1990 aimed at repressing any racist, anti-Semitic or xenophobic act states that “any discrimination based on membership or non-membership of a an ethnic group, a nation, a race or a religion is prohibited".

Racism is therefore the act of "showing hatred towards a person because of their physical appearance or their national or ethnic origin".

People who make racist remarks are liable to a 5th class fine, or 1,500 euros, or up to 3,000 in the event of a repeat offence. If the remarks were made in a public space, the penalty incurred is a fine of 45,000 euros and one year of imprisonment.

Because discrimination does not take holidays. And it is in the most relaxed climates, conducive to leisure and festivities, that it takes on its most shocking features. If we often hear about racist, xenophobic, Islamophobic or anti-Semitic acts at work, in transport, at school… we expect them less on the beach, in hotels, in lodges.

The latest report from the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights in 2023 pointed to a 32% increase in racist crimes and offences. Anti-Semitic acts are the ones that are increasing the most. As for xenophobic, racist and Islamophobic hatred, it has suffered from a worrying trivialisation in recent years. Like the de-demonisation of the National Rally, speech is becoming less inhibited: it is increasingly accepted to reject others. Despite the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, still displayed in schools.

How to avoid hatred ?

“I was with my children, they were playing with other children on the beach in Marseillan. Their father came to get them, told them not to play with my children. I intervened, I asked him why, he looked me up and down and he left without answering.” Amélie lives in Hérault. The forty-year-old has black skin, her children are mixed race. For her, this man's attitude is a form of racism.

Report a racist act

SOS Racisme: 01 40 35 36 55

Licra: reporting form &agrave fill out on licra.org/agir/signaler-formulaire

National Federation for Victim Assistance and Mediation: 08 842 846 38

National Council of Bars: visit their website https://www.avocat.fr/

Denounce Hate: to create a complaint online at denoncerlahaine.org

Human Rights League: 01 56 55 51 00

Anti-racism movement: 01 53 38 99 92

ERRC (Hate Speech Against Roma People): on the errc.org website

Reason why "black-friendly" zones are springing up. In other words, places where black people can go without the risk of being attacked. On social media, they share their tried and tested tips.

“I don't know if you realize, but we black people have to check if a destination is black-friendly before booking a vacation, otherwise it's a surprise”, comments an Internet user.

Associations encourage people to report attacks and racist remarks, even if they are frequent and sometimes seem ordinary to the victims. If the illegal disguises itself as the banal, we must continue to make the masks fall.

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