The grass is always bloodier: what will it take for us to acknowledge violence against black people in Europe?

by Alexandra Wanjiku Kelbert  Content warning: detailed description of rape On Thursday 2nd February, police officers were in Aulnay-sous-Bois, on the outskirts of Paris, conducting identification checks, the sort that poor black and brown youths are all too familiar with. In the process one of the kids was brutally slapped by an officer. At that… Read More

One Year On

by Isabel Togoh  2015 was undeniably a test of France’s resillience. January’s Charlie Hebdo massacre and the spate of attacks which followed, are well-lodged in most people’s minds. 17 people were killed including cartoonists, journalists, a policeman and woman, a janitor, and shoppers at the Hyper-Cache supermarket. Emotional wounds had barely healed before being ripped… Read More

Your fascination with Muslim women’s bodies has a long misogynistic history

by Nadia Atia   In the early hours of Wednesday 18 November, Hasna Aït Boulahcen, aged 26, of Moroccan origin, was killed in an explosion in Paris. Initial news coverage of the young woman’s final hours branded her ‘Europe’s First Suicide Bomber’ and stressed a hedonistic life (see for example the Independent). In some reports, brief… Read More

Hate

by Mustafa Dikeç This article is an abridged version. The original text can be found at Society and Space People want us to demonstrate. Very well, but tomorrow what do we do? They point their finger at us with a nasty look on their face? I don’t want to be part of this France for… Read More

“Hatred breeds hatred”: Charlie Hebdo, marginalisation and terrorism

by Guilaine Kinouani Many remember the place of their upbringing with fondness and nostalgia. This may be particularly so for those who through life’s circumstances, have had to leave their childhood home behind. As a Parisian born and cité bred immigrant to the UK, for me the banlieue of Paris evokes memories of multicultural community… Read More

The Victims of Anti-Islamic Sentiments are Women

by Yasin Bangee A lot of discourse over the internet recently has focused on the supposed comparison made between Islamophobia and racism. Detractors of Islam have argued they should be free to criticise aspects of Islam without being called a racist. Racists on the other hand are excusing their own bigotry by gleefully pointing out… Read More