From Online Gathering to Collective Action at the Criminal Court

Abstract

Since 2010, Chinese residents and Chinese French citizens have denounced unequal treatment in French society, especially focusing on the lack of preventative measures taken against racially targeted violent robberies. In 2016, a major demonstration brought together around 30,000 people, marking a turning point in the activists’ cause. The second generation took a clearly more active role in this protest and (re)framed the demonstrators’ claims to emphasize the structural racism that lies behind the violence aimed at their communities. Since then, the descendants of Asian migrants have developed initiatives to fight against stereotypes and related acts of violence. Based on qualitative research into different forms of collective action, this article highlights how some have engaged in online campaigns to highlight the stereotypes and everyday racism associated with Asian populations, and others have engaged with the legal process to see that petty crimes are recognized as acts of racism.