French government presents new national plan to combat racism, antisemitism and discrimination

The French government has unveiled a new national plan to combat racism, antisemitism and discrimination based on origin, with 55 measures to be implemented between 2026 and 2029.

Presented at the French National Library in Paris by Aurore Bergé, Minister for Gender Equality and the Fight Against Discrimination, the plan includes measures aimed at strengthening education, law enforcement training, victim support and the monitoring of hate-related offences.

Key proposals include training for school leaders, inspectors and future teachers; increasing the number of pupils visiting sites of remembrance from 500,000 to 800,000 annually; expanding training for police officers and gendarmes; introducing employment discrimination testing campaigns every two years; improving monitoring of convictions for racist and antisemitic offences; and developing standards to prevent discrimination in sectors such as recruitment and real estate.

Bergé said the plan responds to an “unprecedented and worrying” rise in racist, antisemitic and anti-religious acts. According to government figures, 2,489 such incidents were recorded in 2025, while 3,851 cases of hateful acts or remarks were reported in schools during the 2024–2025 academic year. She added that nearly 1.7 million people were victims of racist, antisemitic or discriminatory remarks or acts in 2025.

However, the announcement has drawn criticism from some civil society actors, who argue that many of the measures largely expand existing programmes rather than introducing new policies. One expert questioned the absence of proposals submitted by the 110 organisations consulted during the preparation of the plan.

Concerns have also been raised over the effectiveness of the criminal justice response. Data from the Justice Ministry submitted to the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH) shows that, in 2024, 7,884 people were identified as suspects in racist offence cases, but 59% of cases were dismissed without further action. Fewer than five racist criminal offences resulted in convictions, while only eight convictions for discrimination were issued.

The absence of several senior government figures, including the Prime Minister, Justice Minister and Interior Minister, was criticised by some activists as a sign of a lack of political commitment at the highest level.

The new plan is coordinated by the Interministerial Delegation for the Fight Against Racism, Antisemitism and Anti-LGBT+ Hatred (Dilcrah), which operates under the authority of the Prime Minister. Previous plans were presented by former prime ministers Édouard Philippe in 2018 and Élisabeth Borne in 2023.

The previous 2023–2026 plan, which ended in May 2026, was presented by the government as having achieved 70% implementation of its 80 measures. The CNCDH disputed this assessment, stating that several objectives — including improving teacher training, strengthening data collection on victims and improving the criminal justice response — had only been partially implemented or not implemented at all.

The CNCDH criticised what it described as a “failure of governance”, pointing to the abandonment of certain measures and prolonged instability within Dilcrah, which was without a permanent head for seven months before Cindy Leoni, former president of SOS Racisme, took up the role in May.

Bergé is also expected to present a draft “republican cohesion” bill to the Council of Ministers on 9 July, aimed at further addressing antisemitism and racism.