On March 25, 2022, Senegal’s government condemned French presidential candidate Eric Zemmour for “degrading and irresponsible” remarks targeting the Senegalese community in France, with Ambassador El Hadji Magatte Seye labeling them “racist,” per RFI. During a campaign visit to Paris’s Porte de la Villette, near the notorious “Crack Hill,” Zemmour, representing the far-right Reconquête party, claimed “most of the non-French delinquents are Senegalese” and vowed to deport them if elected in the April 10 and 24 elections. Senegal signaled potential legal action, with Seye noting the “special relations” strained by such rhetoric.
Zemmour’s Provocative Statements
Zemmour’s tweet on March 25 claimed “Senegalese drug dealers were shouting Vive Mélenchon” while he engaged voters, linking the community to crime in a drug-plagued area. “My mission is to protect the French people… threatened by a massive flow of migrants,” he said on CNews, advocating a migration halt to “protect French identity.” He further described immigrant-heavy neighborhoods as “no longer in France” with rising crime. This echoed his May 2021 CNews claim that “all the crack dealers in Paris are Senegalese,” prompting Seye to decry Zemmour’s “obsession” with targeting Senegalese.
Community and Diplomatic Response
Senegalese residents like Samba, a young Parisian, expressed shock, telling RFI, “This time, he just crossed a line.” Moosa, a 32-year-old Senegalese worker, added, “Even if there are a handful of Senegalese who are involved in criminal activities, it does not mean that all… are criminals.” Both vowed to expose Zemmour’s racism through protests. “We chose not to react the first time… but now it is becoming an obsession,” Seye stated, highlighting Senegal’s restraint until the repeated attacks. The remarks threatened the 15,000-strong Senegalese diaspora’s integration in France, per 2022 INSEE data.
Zemmour’s Anti-Migration Platform
Zemmour’s campaign centered on halting migration, claiming it fuels crime and erodes French culture. “Our justice system is not repressive enough… We will expel all foreigners found to be delinquents,” he told CNews. His rhetoric, drawing 7% support in early 2022 polls (Ipsos), fueled tensions, with 68% of French citizens expressing concern over immigration, per a 2022 Elabe survey. However, critics like Moosa emphasized, “We work hard in this country to make a living… and abide by its laws,” countering stereotypes with evidence of community contributions.
Broader Implications
The controversy, amplified by Zemmour’s fourth-place finish in the April 2022 election (7.1% of votes, per France’s Interior Ministry), underscored France’s polarized immigration debate. Senegal’s potential lawsuit, though not filed by year-end, signaled African nations’ growing assertiveness against diaspora-targeted rhetoric. “Zemmour’s comments risk escalating diplomatic tensions,” a Le Monde analyst noted. With 30% of Paris’s crack-related arrests involving non-French nationals in 2021 (Paris Police Prefecture), the issue remained sensitive, but blanket generalizations drew condemnation, urging a focus on evidence-based policing over divisive rhetoric.
