French Lawmakers Accuse Rap Groups Of Inciting Riots

Various rappers and rap groups in France are facing legal action after being accused by lawmakers of inciting the country’s riots through their raps. 200 lawmakers signed a petition on Wednesday (Nov. 23) that was co-signed by 152 Deputies and 49 Senators and presented to Justice Minister Pascal Clement, singling out seven rappers/groups. The rap […]

Various rappers and rap

groups in France are facing legal action after being accused by lawmakers of

inciting the country’s riots through their raps.

200 lawmakers signed

a petition on Wednesday (Nov. 23) that was co-signed by 152 Deputies and 49

Senators and presented to Justice Minister Pascal Clement, singling out seven

rappers/groups.

The rap groups

could face legal action and are specifically accused of inciting racism and

hatred. The petitions sponsor, Francois Grosdidier, claims rap music conditions

listeners who could become violent in the future.

"Sexism, racism and

anti-Semitism are no more acceptable in song lyrics than in written or spoken

words," Grosdidier of the ruling centre-right UMP, told AFP. "This

is one of the factors that led to the violence in the suburbs."

Monsieur R’s song

“FranSSe” drew controversy earlier this year in the country and

the complaint singled out the song again, which describes France as “b*tch

who should "treated like a w####".

Monsieur R is already facing

a court date over the song and is charged with "outrage to social decency.”

Other groups targeted in

the petition include Smala, Fabe & Salif, Lunatic, Ministere and Ministere

Amer.

In 1995 French officials

attacked rap group Ministere Amer in court over their song “Sacrifice

de poulet,” from the soundtrack to “La Haine,” a movie that

ironically centers on the lives of three teenagers living in the slums after

a riot has broken out.

A court ruling forced the

group to pay 250,000 francs in fines, but lawmakers were unsuccessful at banning

the CD from stores.

Rappers have expressed their

dismay with the conditions in France since the 1980’s and 1990’s.

The recent riots in France

were set off by the Oct. 27 accidental deaths of two teenagers in Clichy-Sous-Bois.

Zyed Benna, 17, and Traore

Bouna, 15, fled a soccer game and hid in a power substation when they saw police

enter the area and were accidentally electrocuted.

Youths in the neighborhood

accused the police of chasing the teens to their deaths.

The riots were initially

confined around Paris, but then spread to other regions of the Île-de-France

region and throughout France, affecting fifteen of the large urban centers in

the country.