In 2023, the French government presented two national action plans. The National Action Plan to Combat Racism, Anti-Semitism and Discrimination on Grounds of Origin, 2023-2026, was developed jointly by the relevant ministries in consultation with independent administrative authorities (such as the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH), or the Defender of Rights), civil society organizations (CSOs) and memorial sites.
The Plan is divided into five main lines of action, including 1) affirming the reality of racism, 2) measuring racism, anti-Semitism, and discrimination, 3) improving education for young people and training for adults, 4) strengthening penalties for offenders, and 5) supporting victims more effectively. Each of these lines of action is divided into strategic objectives accompanied by indicators that will be examined by a monitoring committee set up in March 2023 and made up of the relevant ministries and CSOs.
The National Action Plan for Equality, Against Anti-LGBT+ Hatred and Discrimination, 2023-2026, was developed jointly by the relevant ministries following consultations with independent administrative authorities, CSOs, and LGBT+ centres. It is also divided into five main lines of action, including 1) naming the reality of LGBT-phobia, 2) improving monitoring of such acts, 3) guaranteeing effectiveness of rights, 4) sanctioning LGBT-phobic perpetrators, and 5) developing a European and international strategy. The implementation of this plan will also be exanimated by a monitoring committee.
In 2023, a network of relay trainers led by the Central Office for Combating Crimes against Humanity and Hate Crimes (OCLCH) was created within the gendarmerie. The network consists of around 100 gendarmes (judicial police officers) trained as investigators, with one gendarme representing each departmental gendarmerie group or overseas gendarmerie. The network gendarmes are responsible for the following: raising awareness among their colleagues of hate crime litigation (to date they have reached 18,000 gendarmes); supporting field units in terms of legal qualification and conducting hearings to help identify the motive; and supporting the group commander or representing them on local operational committees to combat racism, anti-Semitism and anti-LGBT hatred.
In December 2023, OCLCH organized a two-day seminar attended by officers from all French departments, including overseas, to create relay trainers in the fight against hate crimes.
In 2023, the "NeoHaine" application was implemented by the OCLCH as a tool to support French gendarmes when deciding how to record crimes. In April 2024, it was presented to all EU internal security forces, which have been brought together under the aegis of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) and the European Commission's High Level Group on Combating Hate Crime and Hate Speech.
This category includes crimes committed based on racial, ethnic or religious affiliation.
This category includes cases of bias based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The category Unspecified" includes 158 cases of harassment and 82 other offences against individuals (such as the administration of a harmful substance, the invasion of privacy, or fraudulent appropriation). Police records for anti-LGBTI hate crimes are approximate, as the exact number cannot be released for reasons of statistical confidentiality.
ODIHR recognizes France's efforts to introduce strategic policy frameworks to address discrimination and hate crime victimization of selected communities. ODIHR observes that France would benefit from enhancing its efforts to build the capacity of prosecutors and judges to prosecute and sentence hate crimes.
ODIHR recalls that in Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, OSCE participating States committed to collect reliable data and statistics on hate crimes in sufficient detail, and to report such data periodically to ODIHR. Participating States also committed to introduce or further develop professional training and capacity-building activities for law enforcement, prosecution, and judicial officials dealing with hate crimes. ODIHR stands ready to support France in meeting its relevant commitments through the provision of comprehensive resources and tailored assistance in the area of hate crime recording and data collection, as well as by providing further resources and tailored capacity-building assistance for police, prosecution, and judiciary.
🛈 Please note that the total number of incidents may be lower than the sum of incidents presented in the breakdown chart above, as some incidents involve multiple bias motivations.
🛈 ODIHR no longer presents descriptions of property attacks in the incident tables below. Data on property attacks are presented in the breakdown charts above. One property attack may target multiple properties or involve multiple types of attack.