GENEVA: Racism in France is “alive, pernicious and most of its victims are French citizens from visible minorities, not immigrants,” the UN’s independent expert on minority issues said on Monday.

“Because of the colour of their skin, their religion, their surname or their address, these young people in France see no chance of social mobility” said Gay J. McDougall, after a 10-day visit to the country.

“People who work hard, play by the rules and believe in the ethos of the Republic, yet find themselves trapped in ghettos, isolated in enclaves where the unemployment rate can reach 40 per cent” she said.

Members of visible minorities “feel discriminated against and rejected by a rigid preconceived idea of ‘French-ness’ which they don’t correspond to” she added.—AFP