Скачать или смотреть Law and Disorder: Understanding the French Protests

On June 27th in a suburb of Paris, police stopped a young man of African descent, Nahel Merzouk, after a series of traffic violations, only stopping after getting stuck at a red light. While what happened next is still under investigation, the initial police report (the car was about to run over the officers) was quickly disproven by video evidence.

This incident comes among a rise in officer involved shootings throughout France, which has disproportionately involved minorities. This incident tipped off several days and nights of protests and violence, with over $1 billion worth of damage and dystopian images coming from across the country.

Why has this incident, one in a series of many, been the spark that lit the fire? How has the government responded? What reforms are needed to address community grievances? We explore this, and other questions, in a World Affairs Council of New Hampshire's rapid response program.

Joined by Vivien Schmidt, Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration; Professor of International Relations & Political Science, Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, this event will provide the audience with a historical understanding of the tense relationship between the police and their communities in France, how the system has impacted minority communities, why this killing has sparked widespread protests, and what this all means for the future of France.