France witnessed a significant surge of 32% in crimes or misdemeanours with a racial or xenophobic undertone against foreigners and religions in 2023 compared to 2022. This rise comes amid strong tensions in the Middle East.
Overall, the police and gendarmerie recorded “approximately 15,000 violations committed based on ethnicity, nationality, race, or religion across French territories in 2023, including 8,500 crimes or misdemeanours,” as reported by the ministry’s statistical service. The service noted a “clear acceleration” towards the end of the year.
The number of anti-Semitic acts registered in France has increased since the attack launched by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7th.
The report highlighted a doubling of the number of crimes and misdemeanours recorded during the last quarter of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.
The report stated, “This increase was observed more accurately from October onwards, with the crime rate remaining at the same high level in November before declining again in December.”
In January, the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF) pointed out that the number of anti-Semitic acts had quadrupled within one year in the country, rising from 436 in 2022 to 1676 in 2023, marking a “massive increase” after October 7th.
The ministry’s statistical service did not provide details on incidents related to acts against Christianity, Islam, or Judaism, emphasizing that, as in previous years, “provocations, insults, and defamation constitute the vast majority of these crimes” of a racial, xenophobic, or religious nature.
Men and individuals aged between 25 and 54, as well as foreigners from African countries, represent a significant proportion of the victims, with only 4% of them filing complaints.
According to a survey on victimization titled “Testing and Feeling in the Field of Security,” approximately 800,000 individuals aged 18 and above, living on the mainland of France, reported being victims of a “racially motivated” attack in 2021, accounting for 1.6% of the adult population.
These crimes and misdemeanours are often committed in Paris at a rate approximately three times higher than the national average, according to the report.
