When they finally arrive in front of the friendly and welcoming bouncer, he lets everyone through… except Samy. After thinking for two seconds, he explains: “Sorry, but here, we only let in women over 25 and men over 30.” Needless to say, many in the line do not meet this age requirement. Only Samy, who is 25, was singled out.
“That’s a new one on me! Yet, I’ve heard plenty of excuses. One time, I was even told that my haircut wasn’t up to standard.” Samy leaves the place without saying a word while his friends argue with the bouncer. “There’s no use talking to these people. There was no reason for me to be turned away but they always find these bogus excuses. I understand the rage of 18/19-year-olds. Now, with hindsight, I don’t care. But I think twice before going to a nightclub.”
Samy walks away calmly and proudly but he is deeply hurt.
This story is lived by thousands of immigrants or French people with dark skin every weekend. And unfortunately, the French Riviera is not spared from these acts of discrimination.
“Juan-les-Pins may be the town where it’s hardest to get into a nightclub if you’re not white,” claims Pierre Ayi. This young man from Nice of Togolese origin estimates that 20% of the time, he has been denied entry to nightclubs. Others lean more towards 50%. The reasons are as varied as “we’re full,” “you need to be accompanied,” or “it’s for regulars.” “But each time, you can feel it’s because of our skin color,” adds Pierre.
Some are fighting against this phenomenon. Mamadou Thioye is a volunteer at the Nice committee of SOS Racism. “The argument of the night club managers is to say that blacks and Arabs only come to cause trouble. This is not justified at all.” Mamadou continues to fight against the prejudices, even though he remains very pessimistic about the situation. “It’s not getting better. The representatives from the nightclubs belong to a category that does not seek to dialogue or to understand.”
Moreover, the risks incurred, if there is a lawsuit, do not really scare the perpetrators of these discriminations. The penalties can still be up to 2 years in prison and 45,000 euros in fines. However, this only matters if the case is not dismissed. “Regarding discrimination, we drag our feet in some regions,” assures Martial, a volunteer of SOS Racism at the national headquarters in Paris. “Especially in Montpellier, Marseille, or Nice where it is more difficult than elsewhere to pursue legal action against offenders.”
The challenge: obtaining the necessary evidence for legal action. That’s why SOS Racism has developed the “testing” method. To avoid cases being dismissed. The method? The association sends several couples, dressed the same way but with different skin colors, to the same nightclubs. Last weekend, the testings, conducted nationally, were positive (so to speak) in six cities: Bordeaux, Châlons-en-Champagne, Toulouse, Angers, Lyon, and Paris. In the Alpes-Maritimes, a testing will soon be carried out in Nice, Cannes, and Antibes based on complaints already received. The Baoli in Cannes, already under a complaint by the association, should be in the spotlight again.
SOS Racism has just published its annual report. Nationally, 800 letters, 3,500 emails, and 1,000 calls were received by the association. 396 lawsuits were initiated and 107 legal victories were achieved. “We are satisfied,” declared Martial, “as the fines are increasing and sentences are more often accompanied by suspended imprisonment.” And he concluded: “Now, people are taking action. They’re not letting it go.”
Note to the kind bouncers of nightclubs.
