[civilitty]

> The perception of police spending most time harassing minorities and exacerbating humanitarian crises? That's a US problem. Literally no one else has it.

France just had weeks of riots because the police shot Nahel Merzouk [1] due to similar dynamics that have been developing in France since at least the Algerian crisis [2]. I don't know if "spending most time" is a fair characterization of French minorities' perception but the antagonistic relationship between police and minorities is far from a US only problem.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahel_Merzouk_riots

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_massacre_of_1961

[stavros]

I think that merely the fact that people are bothered enough to riot shows that the problem in the US is much more extended, where shootings by the police were such an everyday phenomenon that the biggest reaction you'll get is an extra-high shrug.

[civilitty]

The French do love a good riot but don't forget that the George Floyd protests just a few years ago were the largest in US history - during pandemic lockdowns, no less. They devolved into something resembling riots in only a few cities but "extra-high shrug" is hardly how I'd describe that series of events or the other smaller protests since. The Minneapolis ones only wrapped up in May of this year after the criminal cases were resolved.

I think with US suburban sprawl it's just a lot easier to ignore what's going on in the cities.

[stavros]

Ah, interesting, I may be wrong then. I remember the George Floyd protests, but didn't know of any more recent.

[rsynnott]

Well, also, it is _France_; proud tradition of very large dramatic protests and riots going back over two hundred years. It's kind of their thing. French farmers routinely shut down whole cities when they're vaguely irritated about something; it's unsurprising that protests around more serious and emotive matters than France enforcing an EU ban it was already meant to be enforcing on a pesticide get a bit dramatic.

[stavros]

I don't know if that's just a France thing, I remember here (Greece) ten years or so ago, when a police officer shot a teenager, and the whole country was in flames for a week from the riots. There are still marches and protests every year, on the anniversary.