The link between crime and immigration has gripped France for years and has only become more hotly debated in recent months. Now, the popular French author essayist and commentator Laurent Obertone, is saying that the problem is far worse than even the state is willing to admit.
“Migrants and the descendants of migrants are responsible for two-thirds of criminality, because criminality and delinquency are tied in the majority (of cases) to those with an immigration background. One can say that ethnic statistics are forbidden and so on, one should not talk about this, and we should only speak of the small criminal minority and that is all,” said Obertone while appearing on CNews.
Obertone points to recent statements from French President Emmanuel Macron, who admitted last month that foreigners account for half the crimes in Paris.
“Yes, when we look at delinquency in Paris, we can see that half of the delinquent acts come from foreigners in an irregular situation or awaiting asylum approval,” said Macron while appearing on France 2 television channel. Macron’s remarks sparked a heated debate in French society about the role of immigration and insecurity.
France’s interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, also made a similar admission; however, both Macron and Darmanin have denied that immigration is actually tied to higher crime.
“I will never make an existential link between immigration and insecurity,” said Macron in the same interview.
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However, Macron’s and Darmanin’s data may be only half the story. In France, crime statistics are only kept on foreigners and French citizens, which means it is hard to decipher how many French citizens with a migrant background are also responsible for crime in the country.
“This is half an admission, because I have to point out that (Gérald) Darmanin is speaking of crimes committed by foreigners. I, on the other hand, was speaking about the criminality of individuals with a migrant background,” said Obertone. “This means not only those who are foreign nationals, but also those who are direct descendants of immigrants: Those born in France, are French, but who have a recent migration background. And when one adds up these two populations, we arrive at (the figure) that two-thirds of crimes committed on our soil are perpetrated by these individuals, individuals with a migration background.”
Obertone says that it is only this statistic that reveals the true scale of the crime committed by foreign nationals and their descendants, even if they have French citizenship. He says that because France does not keep statistics on the ethnicity or migration background of criminals, France has an incomplete picture of who is responsible for crime in the country.
“Hence, this is an admission that does not satisfy me, as it does not touch the root of the issue,” he said.
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France’s immigrant community has been responsible for some of the most egregious acts of violence in recent years, including the riots that took place at the Stade de France, which involved roving gangs of migrants brutally attacking and robbing football supporters from Great Britain and Spain. In addition, France has been beset by terror attacks, beheadings, and most recently, the rape and murder of 12-year-old Lola at the hands of an Algerian migrant woman who already had standing deportation orders.
Data from the country’s interior ministry also shows that foreigners commit half the crimes in Paris and 55 percent of the crimes in Marseillles; however, data on what percentage of crime is being committed by those of foreign origin remains elusive.
“What we see today is chaos. To me, it is very clear that no one in (state) administration, major media, and what I call ‘Big Brother,’ meaning this immense machinery running our country — none of them seem to realize the magnitude of the chaos that rules the streets and the consequences of this mass immigration, which was never intended nor desired,” Obertone said on CNews.
“Law enforcement is doing their job as best they can. But behind (this), there is no concrete administrative and judicial response. It is a major state failure.”
Recently, Macron promoted a plan to flood the French countryside with migrants, despite strong protest efforts from French citizens against the plan.
