Published on 6/17/2026
Human rights organizations have accused French police of using a system of instant criminal fines to target boys and young men perceived as black, Arab or of North African descent, exacerbating social and economic exclusion in working-class neighbourhoods.
Human Rights Watch, Reclaim, and the Community House for Solidarity Development said that police are issuing on-the-spot fines for alleged public disorder violations, such as noise, littering, and illegal discharge of unsanitary liquids, in order to harass these young men and keep them out of public spaces in their neighborhoods, while they were engaging in normal activities such as talking in front of their homes or exercising in parks.
Read also
list of 2 itemsend of list
According to a report by the organizations, these fines are imposed based on the personal estimates of police officers, without judicial oversight, and the fined persons do not enjoy basic guarantees for a fair trial. He pointed out that the law considers accident reports prepared by police officers to be valid until proven otherwise, and that the appeal process is fraught with obstacles and most appeals are rejected.
The organizations documented cases in which children and youth received fines that accumulated to tens of thousands of euros, ranging between 1,600 euros (about 1,728 dollars) and 37,000 euros (about 40,000 dollars), while social workers said they knew of cases that reached 50,000 euros (about 54,000 dollars). The report quoted young people as saying that these debts led to the deduction of large portions of their salaries and social security allocations, and some of them were forced to choose between paying fines, food and housing costs, leaving official work, or closing bank accounts, in addition to their withdrawal from public life for fear of new fines.
The organizations indicated that the results support previous evidence, provided by human rights reports, that the police use spot fines to keep young people of color from public places, while classifying them in computer systems as “undesirable.” It also linked these practices to identity checks and body searches that had previously been documented as being carried out in a discriminatory manner.
The organizations said that the government does not collect or publish detailed data on these fines that could reveal discriminatory practices. It concluded that the fines lead to serious violations of France’s human rights obligations, including the prohibition of racial discrimination, children’s rights, and economic and social rights.
The organizations called on the French authorities to abolish three violations related to disturbing public order from the Criminal Code, cancel all fine debts accumulated due to these violations, and end policies that exclude young people from public places. It also recommended adopting community-centered approaches, establishing effective independent oversight mechanisms for fines, and collecting detailed data that allows monitoring discriminatory practices.
