France’s top body rejects contention by campaigners that racial profiling by police is systemic

PARIS (AP) — France’s highest administrative authority has rejected an effort by rights campaigners to end what they allege is a generalized practice by French police of targeting Black people and people of Arab descent for stops and checks. Local grassroots organizations and international rights groups had hoped that a favorable ruling from the Council of State could force deep reforms within French law enforcement to end racial profiling. The Council of State said in its decision on Wednesday that witness testimony and other evidence presented in the class-action case established that French police do subject people for checks because of their physical characteristics. It also said such checks don’t appear to be isolated cases. But it said discriminatory checks aren’t systemic.