The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, called on States, Monday, June 28, on the issue of “systemic racism” suffered by black people, a few days after the condemnation to the United States. United of Derek Chauvin, the policeman who killed George Floyd, to 22 and a half years in prison. 

"Only approaches that tackle both endemic law enforcement shortcomings and systemic racism - and its origins - will do justice to the memory of George Floyd and so many others whose lives have been lost. or irremediably affected ", declared Michelle Bachelet, during the publication of a report of the High commissioner requested by the Council of the Human rights of the UNO, in reference to the African-American become the symbol of the victims police and racial violence in the United States following his murder on May 25, 2020. 

"Today there is a very important opportunity to mark a turning point for racial equality and justice," the report further notes.

On Friday, Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison, a heavy and rare sentence in the United States that reflects the global impact of the drama. 

The murder of George Floyd and "the mass demonstrations" which followed it all over the world indeed constitute a "decisive moment in the fight against racism" which must be seized, underlines the High Commission for human rights.

This mobilization allowed "a long delayed awareness of racism and placed at the center of the debates the systemic nature of racism", underlines Michelle Bachelet in the press release accompanying the report. 

This systemic racism leads people of Africa or of African descent to find themselves economically and politically marginalized, do not have the same access as others to education or quality health care, or find themselves under-represented in the society.

In this regard, the report calls on states to "adopt measures mobilizing all public authorities" in plans with "sufficient resources". 

Set up ethnic statistics  

The report also calls for the establishment of ethnic statistics, the only ones capable of making it possible "to better understand the extent of systemic racism (...) and to monitor the effectiveness of the strategic measures" taken.

He also notes that racism conditions "the interactions of African people with representatives of the law and the criminal justice system".

When they exist, the data in this regard are "worrying", estimates the High Commissioner for Human Rights, referring for example to the United Kingdom where, over a year (from April 2019 to March 2020), we noted 6 arrests with searches per 1,000 people benches against 54 per 1,000 black people. 

In France, a 2016 report by the Defender of Rights established that young blacks or North Africans were 20 times more likely to be subjected to identity checks than others.

>> To see: Racism in France, the weight of history

The High Commission also examined 190 cases of deaths of Africans or people of African descent in contact with the police.

"In many of the cases examined, (...) the victims did not represent an imminent threat of death or serious injury such that the level of force used was justified", notes the report which calls for "solid measures" to put end to impunity.

The aftermath of slavery  

The report mentions in particular the establishment of "independent control mechanisms", a limitation on the use of force by the police or even "victim compensation programs".

The fight against racism involves a real work of memory, finally underlines the report.

It is thus "high time to face the consequences of slavery, the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism, and to aim for restorative justice", he insists, pointing to "the lack of official recognition. of the responsibility "of States, institutions and individuals having participated in these phenomena or still benefiting from it. 

>> To read: Commemoration of the victims of slavery: the Taubira law, 20 years later

"The status quo is unacceptable", concludes Michelle Bachelet in her press release calling for "immediate and transformative measures".

"We need a transformative approach that tackles the interrelated areas that fuel racism and lead to recurring and completely preventable tragedies like the death of George Floyd," she added. 

With AFP 

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