AFP photo
A jewel thief lies on the pavement, covered by a blanket. He has been shot, but not by police. He was shot as he fled.
French citizens cheer. The press runs. The police scratch their heads.
A jeweller in Nice has shot a thief after the crime, as he fled the scene. The French, increasingly weary of crime and in some cases, of immigrants, have cheered the jeweler for his actions.
Does this sound a little like the USA? It does. In the US, this kind of action is almost routine, although shooting a fleeing suspect is illegal, even in the US. Shooting someone in the back, as they flee, is cowardice. Because the man was not attempting to take your life, just your property. Killing a man for property is indeed not right.
It is very surprising then, that the French have adopted such a stance.
There have been a spate of jewel thefts across France, some almost clamorous, or maybe even glamorous. But there is nothing glamorous about having a shotgun pointed at your face.
In any case, the jeweler faces a longer term in prison, if convicted of shooting the thief, than the thief himself would have, had he been apprehended and convicted.
Why then the obvious backlash, from a people who are pretty much known as the standard bearers for humanism?
It's change. The kind of change that has swept the whole of Europe, and has changed and will further change Europe. That of multiethnicity, cultural clashes, religious resentment.
Because behind the cheering there is a sentiment that says, enough is enough. But is it right? No, it isn't.
What the French must do, then is to look inward, and find again that incredible penchant for egalite`, for tolerance, for discourse. If they lose that, France as a country, as a people, as a uniform face, will have lost its very identity.
The thief was 18 years old. His accomplice, who was riding the getaway bike sped away when he saw his partner in crime shot dead.
A support page for the jeweler grew to 1.5 million fans, and keeps growing. But is this a sign of vigilantism? Or is it a sign of discontent for a police organization that is not able to police the country anymore?
Of course this case has immediately caused politicians on both side to adopt a firm stance for or against. Le Pen immediately piped up in support of the shooter.
It remains to be seen, what consequence, morally and socially this event will engender. Safe to say that if this act is repeated, it will set a dangerous precedent on the use or abuse of firearms in Europe.
Op-ed
Source : France 24/ 9.16.13
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