One year on from the riots in French immigrant suburbs little has been done to remove the socio-economic and cultural conditions that gave rise to them. The widespread disturbances orchestrated by unemployed youths saw 10,300 vehicles burnt and €160 million worth of damage last November.
The weekend anniversary passed off with relatively little repetition of the violence which came to an end a year ago after three weeks of turmoil and a proclamation of a curfew based - ironically - on emergency legislation passed during the Algerian war of independence in the 1950s. Some five million or 8 per cent of France's population is foreign born, mostly from its former colonies in North and West Africa. They are concentrated in suburban ghettos where levels of unemployment and experience of imprisonment are way above the national average.
Their action was based on demands for respect, recognition, employment and republican recognition - not on Islamic fundamentalism. Nevertheless it highlighted issues of assimilation and multiculturalism which have deeply penetrated France's political debate as it heads towards presidential and legislative elections next May. The model of republican assimilation is widely accepted to have failed the mostly Muslim immigrants from North Africa. They have been discriminated against in terms of housing, education and social mobility. Post-colonial attitudes, including racist ones, have much to do with this, as is shown in the high votes for the far-right National Front party.
However, it would be wrong to conclude that these disadvantaged communities necessarily reject French social values. Opinion surveys show most Muslims surveyed accept their primary allegiance is to France, that high percentages want to adapt to its norms, including gender equality, the separation of church and state and the unfettered right to marry outside one's inherited religion. Levels of intermarriage between immigrants and French born people are higher than in comparable societies.
In the same way demands for change in social and economic conditions coming from the communities have a practical focus implying a desire to participate more equally in French society. They complain about employment discrimination based on their postal addresses, about the lack of transport to bring them to available jobs and the need for employment and educational quotas to provide a boost out of poverty. The majority of young people willing to make an effort emphasise that those resorting to violence are a small minority. Media sensationalism is widely blamed for fanning inter-community tension.
It can suit right-wing political agendas to overlook such hopeful signs and concentrate rather on security and fear as ways to rally political support. The forthcoming election campaign will be a real test of how official France receives the message coming from these cries for help.