The French foreign ministry has criticized a UN assessment of the most recent violent protests in the country. In a statement released on Saturday, Paris said that it believes the organization’s conclusions about racism in policing went too far.
“France disputes comments that it considers excessive and deplores the forgetting of the unjustifiable violence committed in recent days against the police, elected officials, public services, police stations, schools, social and care centers… the town halls as well as many properties,” the statement from the ministry says.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) had expressed its concerns over the violent confrontations between police and protesters that continued in the EU country for more than a week. The body made “a number of recommendations to the State regarding racial profiling and excessive use of force by law enforcement officials.”
France’s foreign ministry noted in response that the fight against racism “is a political priority” and added that “any accusation of racism or systemic discrimination by law enforcement in France is unfounded.”