For some local politicians, the answer to Marseille’s troubles is a state of emergency, and far tougher rules on immigration.
“Authority must be restored. We need to end a culture of permissiveness in our country. We need to give more freedom, more power to the police and the judiciary,” said Franck Alissio, a local MP for the populist, far-right National Rally party, and a prospective mayoral candidate.
Although the ancient Mediterranean city of Marseille has, for centuries, been known for its large immigrant community, Alissio argued that “today, the problem is that we are no longer able to integrate economically and assimilate. Too much immigration. It’s the number [of immigrants] that’s the problem. And in fact, the drug traffickers, dealers, lookouts, the leaders of these mafia, are almost all immigrants or foreigners with dual nationality.”
It is a controversial claim that is hard to verify in a country that strives to avoid including such details in official figures.
Alissio claimed that billions of euros had been poured into Marseille’s poorest neighborhoods by successive governments to no effect. He blamed parents and schools for allowing children into the drugs trade but added that he was focused on “solving the problem, not doing sociology”.
Far-right parties have long enjoyed strong support across the south of France, but less so in the diverse city of Marseille itself. Critics of the RN, like the lawyer whose identity we have concealed, accused the party of “exploiting misery and fear,” and wrongly blaming immigrants for a “gangrene” that is widespread across all communities in France.
Philippe Pujol, a local writer and expert on the drug trade in Marseille, was also offered police protection after the murder of Mehdi Kessaci last month.
“I’m not sure if there’s a good reason for this terror. But… terror is taking hold. I would rather be afraid and careful than take unnecessary risks,” he said.
But he hit back against calls for tougher police action, arguing it was merely nursing the symptoms “of a suffering society”, rather than treating the causes of the problem.
Describing entrenched poverty as a “monster,” Pujol painted a picture of a society radicalised by decades of neglect.
“The monster is a mixture of patronage, corruption, and political and economic decisions made against the public interest,” Pujol said.
“These kids can be jerks when they’re in a group, but when you’re alone with them, they’re still children, with dreams, who don’t want this violence.”
