INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTS In December, the government introduced a bill to reform the Act on the Sámi Parliament to enhance the protection of the rights of Sámi people. The proposal was the fourth attempt to reform the law, following failures during three previous government terms. 1. “Finland: ‘I know I won’t get help’: Inequality of healthcare in Finland”, 13 June 2. “Finland: Submission to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 74th Session, 25 September – 13 October 2023, Follow-up”, 23 August 3. “Finland: New gender recognition law ‘a major step towards protecting trans rights’”, 1 February FRANCE French Republic Systemic racism and religious discrimination persisted, including against Muslim women and girls. Racial profiling continued with impunity. Excessive restrictions on protests and excessive use of force by police continued. Mass protests and unrest followed the killing of a 17-yearold boy of Algerian descent by police at a traffic stop. Racist, xenophobic and antiLGBTI vandalism and violent attacks were frequently reported. Parliament passed highly controversial new laws authorizing the use of mass video surveillance technology by law enforcement and introducing discriminatory immigration, nationality and asylum restrictions. DISCRIMINATION In January, the government launched its fouryear National Plan Combating Racism, Antisemitism and Discrimination Linked to Origin, which failed to acknowledge or tackle institutional and systemic racism. In June, OHCHR, the UN human rights office, urged the government to “seriously address the deep issues of racism and discrimination in law enforcement”. The CERD Committee called on France to tackle “the structural and systemic causes of racial The State of the World’s Human Rights discrimination, including in law enforcement, in particular in the police”. In October, France’s highest administrative authority, the Council of State (Conseil d’État), acknowledged the practice of discriminatory police checks against Black and Arab men and boys but proposed no action. Throughout the year, mosques, synagogues and cemeteries were subjected to racist attacks, often being vandalized with racist symbols and messaging promoting extremist political groups. After the escalation of violence in Israel and occupied Gaza, reports of attacks increased as schools and walls were defaced with Nazi and antisemitic symbols. The CEDAW Committee expressed concern about persistent discriminatory stereotypes and high unemployment rates among undocumented migrant women, women belonging to ethnic or religious minorities, women with disabilities and older women. MUSLIM WOMEN AND GIRLS Ignoring the recommendation of the Public Rapporteur, the Council of State ruled that the French Football Federation could maintain a discriminatory policy effectively prohibiting Muslim women and girl players who wore religious headgear from competing. In October, 69 teams called for the repeal of the French Federation for Basketball’s discriminatory ban on the participation of women and girls wearing religious headgear. In September, the minister for sports said in an interview that women wearing religious headgear could not represent France at the 2024 Paris Olympics. OHCHR criticized this decision, stating: “No one should impose on a woman what she needs to wear or not wear”, and warning of the harmful consequences of such discriminatory practices. In August, the minister for education sent an official bulletin to school directors prohibiting the wearing of abayas and qamis in all state schools. The bulletin failed to define these terms, despite their application to a range of loose-fitting clothing. Police were stationed outside some schools and, 171