A French view of anarchy in the UK
Blaming Brexit for the race riots says more about French attitudes than it does about Britain.
In "Out of France" I look at my native country from the vantage point of Britain, where I live.
This post takes the reflection one step further: it's a French perspective from Britain on French views about Britain.
France is no stranger to riots, so it is unsurprising that the racist disturbances across the UK have been amply commented on there. And according to some analysts, responsibility rests with arch-Brexiteer Nigel Farage.
A headline on the left-wing website Mediapart read: "The violent far right and Reform UK, the new party led by Brexiteer Nigel Farage, are at work."
An analysis piece on the French Senate's website bundled together Reform UK and the fascist English Defence League (EDL).
Commenting on the unrest, an expert on British politics told BFMTV that Farage's apocalyptic comments during the 2015 migrant crisis had turned Islamophobia into a "mainstream" ideology.
"After Brexit, there was a sea change in rhetoric and cultural wars," she said. Xenophobic hyperbole was "endorsed by the Conservative Party that was still in power a month ago".
Thus Rishi Sunak's government too helped incite hatred of "non-white people who often come from Muslim countries". In short: you start with Brexit and end up with pogroms.
A disclaimer first: none of what follows should be interpreted as support for Farage. As an economic migrant who chose to live in a vibrant multicultural capital, I can't say I celebrated Brexit.
My point, rather, is that the Farage-shaming says more about French attitudes than it does about British politics.
First of all, it ignores the comments made by Brexiteers themselves. Farage said he was "totally appalled" by the thuggery, adding that "intimidation and threat to life have no place in a functioning democracy".
Right-wing tabloids have been equally scathing about the rioters. The Sun thundered against the "masked yobs" who attacked mosques, migrant hostels and police up and down the country.
The Daily Mail showed a photo of EDL founder Tommy Robinson sunning himself in Cyprus with the headline: "The far-right influencer pouring fuel on flames of tinderbox Britain."
You might dismiss these diatribes as hypocritical, but they leave no room for excuses. The tone is very different from that adopted by the French commentariat last summer, when rioting in multi-ethnic banlieues and cities from Lille to Marseille were widely interpreted as a revolt against deprivation, discrimination and police violence.
The search for underlying causes, of course, is legitimate for all disturbances. But in the case of Britain, you cannot point to rising xenophobia. The far right here is tiny compared with France. Treating UK Reform as part of it is to draw a spurious parallel with Marine Le Pen’s National Rally.
British anti-immigration groups have held demonstrations in recent weeks but they were peaceful until last weekend. And the marchers were often outnumbered by left-wing counter-protesters. Since then, anti-racist protests have drawn big crowds.
Surveys have shown that, Brexit or not, Britons have a markedly more positive view of immigrants than they did 10 years ago. In the UK as elsewhere, immigration is a polarising issue. But strong views on the subject are to be expected in a democracy. What should be banned is not defending a cause, but resorting to violence in furtherance of it.
If neither Brexit nor rising racism can explain the mayhem in UK town centres, what can? Some British journalists, not all right-wingers, have blamed the loss of civility and shared identity. Many have highlighted the sorry state of law enforcement. Trust in police – traditionally high - has plummeted in recent years. Scandals implicating London's Metropolitan Police and other forces have contributed to the sharp decline in support, as have budget cuts.
Anne-Élisabeth Moutet – who, unlike some other French pundits, knows Britain well – told BFMTV that it may not be an accident that Rotherham saw shocking scenes last weekend: that northern town made headlines a decade ago, when it emerged that police had chosen not to investigate sex offenders of Pakistani origin for fear of being called racist.
The latest charge levelled at law enforcement – that of "two-tier policing" – is nonsense. There is no evidence that some protesters have been dealt with more harshly than others. But the fact remains: hostility towards the police is now just as virulent on the hard right as it is on the far left.
Other factors widely mentioned include underfunded courts, a broken asylum system and disinformation on social networks, relayed notably by accounts linked to Russia.
Assessing the possible causes of a wave of unrest is a complex task. Pointing the finger at a political enemy is much easier. Donald Trump chose to do so when Black Lives Matter demonstration turned violent in 2020 (the Democrats' fault); Elon Musk adopted a similar stance on the British riots (Prime Minister Keir Starmer's fault). Those who blame Brexit follow a tried and true formula.
(Adapted from my article in French published on Contrepoints.)
I eagerly await your podcast!