Hooligans Expose Racism in Paris
by Aisha Gawad
For some sports fans, a game is not simply a game. Favorite teams are sources of intense personal pride and validation, and die-hard fans take an affront to their team as an affront to their person. In the United States, Yankees and Red Sox fans square off in an age-old rivalry, and Philadelphia Eagles fans were once so infamously rowdy that there was a jail in their stadium. American sports fans may throw a punch every now and then, but these conflicts are relatively shallow. In France, however, the violence that erupts amongst soccer fans, or “hooligans,” runs much deeper in its severity and motivation.
The latest example of uncontrolled French hooliganism occurred on the evening of Nov. 23, after the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) team suffered a 4-2 defeat to the visiting Tel Aviv Hapoel of Israel. Notoriously raucous and racist PSG fans surrounded a young Jewish man who was wearing the colors of the opposing team. About 100 PSG supporters began to chase the man, shouting anti-Semitic epithets such as “filthy Jew.” A black plain clothes police officer, Antoine Granomort, tried to step in to protect the man, and came under attack himself. The crowd began to physically attack him and make monkey noises, according to observers. In the chaos, Granomort fired his gun, killing a 25-year-old PSG fan, Julien Quemener, and injuring one other.
This tragedy is just another example of the fierce racial tensions that have plagued France for years. These tensions came to a head last year in a series of race riots that gripped the streets of Paris for weeks. French officials have ignored the situation for too long, and must crack down on racist attacks, and they should start in the soccer stadiums of Paris.
Soccer matches in Paris are powder kegs for race riots. In a Champion League game against Istanbul in 2001, PSG fans mobbed Turkish fans, injuring 56. Last season, fans yelled ethnic slurs at former PSG midfielder Vikash Dhorasoo, mocking his Indian heritage. And earlier in November, members of the “Boulogne Boys,” the most extreme hooligan group, attacked a man of Senegalese origin after a match. There are also several known instances where Paris fans even berated black and Arab players on their own team.
Police have taken limited steps immediately following the most recent attack to control the crowd during the next match. They have closed down a section of the PSG stadium where the Boulogne Boys usually sit. Officials have also assigned about 2,000 police officers to monitor the game. Previously, police merely tried to placate the hooligans instead of cracking down on them. They even offered some hooligans usher and security positions in the hopes that they would be able to better control their fellow fans. The police have also failed in their surveillance of fans outside of the stadium. Inside, the stands are monitored by cameras, so the hooligans save their worst antics for the streets of Paris.
With a presidential election approaching next year, the violence has inspired some French politicians to take a stand on hooliganism in Paris. Interior Minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, who is seeking the presidential bid of the ruling Union for a Popular Movement party, favors banning known hooligans from matches and dismantling clubs that support them. “That means that supporters’ associations that do not dissociate themselves from racist movements or violent acts will be dissolved immediately,” he said in front of the lower house of parliament. His rival, Segolene Royal, of the Socialist Party, and who stands to become France’s first female president, favors closing down stands where the hooligans are known to gather.
Both parties are looking towards Britain as an example of the most effective way to combat hooliganism. The British government worked to identify known and potential hooligans, making it easier to control their movements. The French need to do likewise and increase police presence both inside and outside the stadiums. Officials must make it clear to the PSG that if it does not work to control its fans, then the entire club will be at risk of closing.
While French politicians are taking positive steps to control the situation, they also need to acknowledge that it is only one piece of a much wider problem. Paris soccer fans are out-of-control; that much is clear. What is more telling is that they not only employ physical violence, but also hurl hateful racial slurs every chance they get. The PSG’s most recent case of hooliganism highlights the precariousness of the status of minorities in France. Instead of merely trying to paint themselves as tough on hooliganism, presidential hopefuls should be building platforms that are tough on racism. The present situation makes it impossible for minorities to fully integrate into French society. If a black, Jewish, or Arab man cannot even attend a soccer match without risking abuse, what does this indicate about his daily life?
