A Call on the Protests in France and the Crisis of Democracy: We Are Concerned

Violence on the Streets of Paris and the West's Double Standard

France is historically known as the epicenter of social opposition, struggles for rights, and street protests. However, the recent actions led by high school students in various cities across the country, particularly in Paris, demonstrate how much the French state's democratic reflexes have weakened, giving way to security-oriented, authoritarian policies.

The disproportionate force used by the French police against peaceful high school protesters and the citizens supporting them is a clear violation of international human rights norms. Western capitals, which immediately wag their fingers, issue travel warnings, and broadcast messages of condemnation under the guise of "democracy, human rights, and freedom of expression" at the slightest sign of social unrest in countries outside the center of imperialism, fall into a deep silence when it comes to the violence on their own streets.

An Open Call to Turkey's Leadership and TRT World

In international relations, universal human rights and democratic standards should not change based on geographical location. It is a historical and conscientious responsibility for the highest authorities of the Republic of Turkey and its public broadcasting organizations to take a stance in the face of what is happening in France:

A Call to Political Authorities: The Presidency of the Republic of Turkey and the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey should show a diplomatic reflex in the face of increasing police violence in France and issue a statement saying, "We are concerned." Directing the same tutelary and finger-wagging diplomatic language that Western states have used against Turkey for years toward France this time, as a justified human rights-based criticism, is a requirement of Turkey's consistency in the international arena.

Emphasis on Democracy and the Ballot Box: France, which prides itself on being one of the cradles of democracy, must urgently take the ballot box to the people and listen to the legitimate demands of the youth and the public on the streets. True peace and stability in France can only come through the protection of freedom of expression and the right to protest, not through police repression.

The Responsibility of TRT World and Global Media: Public media organizations with global influence that broadcast in foreign languages, such as TRT World, should report on the systematic police violence and violations of democratic rights in France with the same persistence and professionalism as they bring Israel's oppression and injustices against the Palestinian people to the global agenda. Alternative and truth-focused broadcasting that breaks the monotony of Western media is essential for global justice.

In the literature of international law and political science, the legitimacy crisis of states is measured by their approach to the fundamental rights and freedoms of their citizens. As Jürgen Habermas, whom Western intellectuals are so fond of, states in his theory of the public sphere and legitimacy crises, the narrowing of the public sphere through instruments of repression deepens the crisis of the democratic system. The disproportionate violence of the police in France proves how authoritarian liberal democracies can become in moments of crisis.

A justified voice rising from Turkey and the truths to be announced to the world from the screens of TRT World will not only make the voices of the youth in France heard but will also form a strong point of resistance against the West-centric, double-standard international flow of information.