Racism fuels terrorism recruiting, says visiting French justice minister

Hopefully, Canadian ministers will listen to her words with an open mind and recognize that radicalization has also to be considered from a socio-economic, not just a security perspective:

The marginalization caused by racism has an alienating effect that makes people more vulnerable to terrorist recruiters, says France’s visiting justice minister.

Christiane Taubira knows of what she speaks: as France’s most prominent black politician, she has faced repeated public racist slurs in her country.

Taubira made it clear that she doesn’t see being discriminated against as an explanation or excuse for terrorism.

“I’m not sure I want to understand the causes of terrorism,” she said in an exclusive interview Thursday at the French Embassy in Ottawa. “Terror is terror, just absolute.”

But Taubira said there is a link between a young person being pushed to the margins of society and “how easy” that makes it for a terrorist to recruit them, especially using the Internet.

“Because it’s so easy for (terrorists) to say, ‘You will be very important because you will be very powerful, you will be able to kill, and afterwards you will be happy,’” she said.

“The link is there. It’s easy to convince young people that there is a better life in terrorism than in hoping in the society.”

Taubira said being on the receiving end of some vicious racist slurs has only made her stronger.

“It keeps me vigilant because I realize how violent a society is against so many people who are not as strong as I am. I’m strong because I’ve been fighting for a long time.”

She said this week’s appointment of Toronto’s first black police chief, Mark Saunders, carries the sort of symbolism that can give some young people a sense of hope. But she was quick to add: “I don’t want just one person on TV, one person in the government … I want equality for all.”

Taubira was on a visit to meet her federal counterparts in Ottawa, Justice Minister Peter MacKay and Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney, and will travel to Montreal on Friday.

Racism fuels terrorism recruiting, says visiting French justice minister (paywall)