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Racial Profiling: Ventimiglia and Beyond

Article by Ishan Naithani, guest reporter

I was the only person standing on Platform B (the side opposing the train station), waiting for the train to arrive. Oddly enough, I saw a group of three French policemen running towards me, screaming from the other side “attends là.” When they came to the platform where I stood, they disrespectfully asked me to show my passport and to tell them where I was heading. They also asked me to open my bag for an inspection. As I opened my bag, one of the officers noticed my Sciences Po hoodie (what a clutch). At that moment, their demeanor changed completely. They not only told me that my passport and bag were not needed anymore, but also wished me “un bon voyage.” Biased inspections keep happening — I am singled out, asked to prove my identity, interrogated about the reasons for my border crossing, and treated without courtesy — despite belonging in a group of people from the same university.

While my experience is certainly harrowing, it is also humbling. Unlike me, most other persons of color, who are disproportionately victims of racial profiling, rarely know to use their right to demand a reason for apprehension from a police officer. Unlike me, ethnic minorities may not have a Sciences Po hoodie to save them. Every time someone calls criminal justice a vital institution to democracy, I remember the ghastly sight of someone being pulled aside and getting beaten up by the police in Ventimiglia. It reminds me of the widespread bias, racism, and xenophobia that still corrupt our society; the same discrimination that lies but a few few kilometers away from us.

Racial profiling points towards discriminatory attitudes within legal institutions like law enforcement, and it reveals a deeply entrenched norm of systemic racism in today’s societies. It is challenging to eradicate racism inherent to every major institution, which is why we must go beyond understanding individual acts of racism. Non-discriminatory law enforcement is also aided by the recruitment and retention of officers from varied backgrounds, who are more reflective of the community they serve. This enhanced representation can alter organizational culture and staff attitudes, which is predicted to result in less biased decisionmaking. The real problem posed by racial profiling is that law enforcement authorities often violate domestic and international legal principles, like non-discrimination and the right to equal legal treatment. Furthermore, data indicates that racial profiling is ineffective as a law enforcement technique and should be replaced. Racial profiling is not a new trend, but it definitely can not continue to be the status quo. Whether through discussions with civil society representatives and the media, or by creating large-scale shifts in socio-political attitudes, racial profiling can be reversed in Ventimiglia and beyond. And because it can, it must.

Three Down, One To Go…

The 2A fear of watching the magical reality that is Menton come to an end

Photo by Lilinaz Hakimi

Article by Lilinaz Hakimi, guest reporter

When 1As ask, “how was it coming back and being a 2A?” The answer differs from one Mentonese SciencesPiste to another. Although we all share a common identity as members of the same tiny campus family, we also have different personal relationships and experiences. Despite this, we all adjust one way or another. The transition from 1A to 2A, from freshman to senior, is so stark and comes as a quick hit that no one can truly prepare for. But this is not the only transition we endured from 1A to 2A. From Zoom to in-person classes, from no association events to three to four a week, and from nothing but house parties to clubbing in Nice and Monaco on the weekends, we are learning alongside 1As, much like our 2As were learning alongside us during the age of COVID. Now a semester has gone by, and as the resilient, overly opinionated, and loud political science students we are, we have adapted and enjoyed some of these changes. Looking back at our third semester in Menton, I would like to bring to light different assessments from 2As I heard throughout the semester, and explore what it may be like to head into our final semester in this beautiful and surreal town.

Coming to Menton, we knew we were on borrowed time. Unlike the four years we get in high school, these two years end with the departure of all our peers from this small town. People come and go, but experiences seem forged in one as we pace our tiny town with views that, as many have said before, make us feel like we are on a movie set. Upon entering their second year, some students struggled with the overwhelming nature of running the show. Some contended with the departure of their own 2As. Others tried hard to remind themselves not to take these views for granted. Many others loved and cherished this semester, for the reunions, the in-person education, and, of course, the parties. In the end, I think most would agree that it flew by. What is more worrying is the speed with which this following semester

So, to my fellow 2As, I suggest we have the most care free, amazing, and crazy semester yet. To the 1As, I encourage you to take a look at the spirit and culture of this town passed down by many before us, to keep the MENA soul of this student body alive, and to get ready for a party filled semester.

will come and go. It is a common fact that when you are having fun, time escapes you. So now, we are all settled into our new roles, our town in this new light, and have made bonds with our new arrivals. Like 2A Markus Vaher, I hope we all are ready to “have life coursing through our veins for the next half a year.” And as it does, let us take moments to take it all in as each day goes by.

This semester, 2As took on associations fearlessly and led in positions they were not trained for. They struggled with what the identity of the Ummah should be, as some traditions were never truly passed down. We dealt with our administration as it attempted to make this transition to having students and events on site. It was all a mess, but one that we endured together through the partying, clubbing, beach meetups, and brunches. A semester of rebuilding our identity on a personal level or exploring new (and old) friendships. Now that we have adapted and the overwhelming nature of becoming a 2A day has subsided, we are left with these beautiful remaining months together. Menton has been the most eye opening and amazing home for the past year and half. Many have their reservations about this place. But I will say I am sure we all have a small dread in our hearts to leave the friends we love so dearly, the community that embraces everyone’s culture so strongly, and a town so beautiful our eyes sometimes need to adjust. So, to my fellow 2As, I suggest we have the most care free, amazing, and crazy semester yet. To the 1As, I encourage you to take a look at the spirit and culture of this town passed down by many before us, to keep the MENA soul of this student body alive, and to get ready for a party filled semester. Below I have written an ode to this town. I hope it sits well with you as we take on one final go in this remarkable reality, we get to call the final semester at this university. And that is enough of me overly romanticizing this little town on the Riviera.

Photo by Lilinaz Hakimi

An ode to 06500:

What defines something as heaven? Is a utopia something we build or live in? What luck have we to come upon the sea? To see a bell tower ring so randomly? Who am I to have such luck? To meet students from every nook and muck? Ummah embraces its new arrivals Year in and year out with its disciples Memories made in rocky beaches and Sablettes sands With an administration that makes us rip our hair into our hands Not enough time to soak up all the perfect imperfections And all the time to criticize and rebuild our affections So 2As hearts quack as we approach the end Knowing our memories will always extend A smile on our faces, a bond we will keep Mentonese know this loss will make us weep From cold to warm, from Jan to May Let’s put away the drama, worry and dismay To have a blast every damn day Singing our songs and dancing away Grab your favorite ghalibaya And scream proudly, Mentoniya Mentoniya

BDA Travels to Dijon

Reflections from the WEIMART.

Photos taken of Weekend Inter-campus Musique et Art (WEIMART) Photo by Téo Manisier

Article by Cameron Sterling, staff writer

On the night of November 26, the Bureau des arts piled into a bus and travelled to Dijon for the Weekend inter-campus musique et art (WEIMART), an intercampus event focused on the arts. For the weekend, we were tasked with forging bonds across campus communities to create an arts show centered around Ancient Greek Myths.

Arriving in the morning, Menton students found themselves confronted with a full day of art. With just a few hours of rest, artists in the fields of visual arts, music, dance, film, theater, oration,

I was taken aback by the ability of students involved in the other disciplines to create such cohesive works of art with one another.

Photo by Téo Manisier

photography, and fashion all planned and executed a depiction of an Ancient Greek Myth in a six-hour time period with a plan to present it in a showcase the following day.

The musicians of the WEIMART, representing Menton with Eliana Seroussi, Sienna Bertamini, Lena Westlund, Saoirse Aherne, and me, chose to depict the myth of Orpheus through a concert accompanied by an oral exposition written and performed by Azra Ersevik. The setlist included “Wonderwall,” “Mystery of Love,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” “Highway to Hell,” “Always Remember Us This Way,” and “Hey You.” On the subject of complementing her oral performance with the music, Ersevik says “During the WEIMART, I was a storyteller. I told the myths of Eurydice and Orpheus during musical breaks. The experience was very interesting and rich since it was new to me. It was a good opportunity to meet new people, new ideas…and I hope to be able to attend a new WEIMART and see our excellent Mentonese Ummah at work again.”

Though the performance came together nicely, it was not without obstacles. There were about 25 musicians ranging from Latin Percussionists to Classical Cellists that needed to coordinate their own experience and playing styles to produce a finished show. Nevertheless, we succeeded in creating a memorable performance.

Other notable performances included the dancers, who managed to learn and choreograph an entire routine in the short time period provided. Or the filmmakers, represented by Menton 2A Lilinaz Hakimi who wrote, shot, edited, and produced a short movie during the one day period. Personally, I was taken aback by the ability of students involved in the other disciplines to create such cohesive works of art with one another. But after engaging in conversation with the other artists, it seems that we had all managed to impress one another!

The most important aspect of the WEIMART is that, unlike its competitive sibling, the WEIC, is its collaborative nature. 1A Sienna Bertamini, one of Menton’s many talented singers, reflected that “creating art together is a way to connect with people that supersedes any other kind of communication. When I share ideas, work with other singers, and practice

harmonies, it shows that, simply, anything is possible.” On the stage floor, many musicians shared techniques. While students from Poitiers introduced me to Latin style precision, 1A Saoirse Aherne learned the basics of Gypsy Jazz from Pablo, a Parisian guitarist. It is not only the talent of Sciences Po’s artists, but the feat of coorWith just a few hours dination and collaboration of rest, artists in the that was so special about the fields of visual arts, WEIMART. Oftentimes, we music, dance, film, find it difficult to coordinate theater, oration, phoprojects with our closest tography, and fashion friends or in our course all planned and exetriplettes; it is special for cuted a depiction of an a group of strangers to Ancient Greek Myth in create such breathtaking a six-hour time period artwork. with a plan to present Of course, we cannot it in a showcase the pretend that the WEIMART following day. was merely a spontaneous outburst of artistic creativity. Students worked tirelessly to create this event, facing a constantly changing situation due to the cancellation of the WEIC and a COVID outbreak on the Nancy campus. It went so smoothly thanks to the efforts in part by the Dijon BDAS, as well as the respective BDAs of the campuses in attendance: Le Havre, Menton, Poitiers, Paris, and Nancy. On our own campus, 2As Salim Outinari and Seroussi facilitated the planning and logistics of the event.

Alwanat Recap

2A Ismaeel Yaqoob leads the demonstrations protesting the presence of Eric Zemour during his visit to Menton in January 2022 ahead of the French presidential elections.

Photo by Bianca Bartolini Article by Ismaeel Yaqoob, guest reporter

In just ten months, Alwanat has evolved from a group of friends bonding over similar experiences to a widely-known campus association engaging students in much-needed discourse surrounding race and racism on our campus. This year, 2A Sania Mahyou and I had a tough act to follow after Moira Shoush and the rest of our now-3A founders left Menton for their third year adventures. We spent a long time thinking about the direction in which we wanted to take the association: an activism body? a safe-space? a networking opportunity? an educational tool? Our conclusion, unsurprisingly, was to combine all of these aims within the mission of our association. One thing that we wanted to stress from the beginning was a horizontal approach to leadership. We opted against a board with poles as is typically done in SciencesPo associations. This horizontal format creates an environment where there are no hierarchies – either actual or implicit – which enables everyone in the association to contribute as much or as little as they want. This has, of course, created logistical and organisational obstacles, but it is worth it. This framework allows for members of the association to feel able to act on their own prerogative 100 percent of the time. This is important because we all have different ways of processing and navigating our experiences and there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach. Participating in anti-racism activities requires effort, but should not be treated as an obligation. The work we are doing necessitates an internal motivation.

Furthermore, our recruitment campaign was informal and involved a simple chat to ensure the aims of the association were understood and that there was a shared interest with the applicants. Alwanat is a bilingual association, and we have one president from each track in hopes of creating an environment where there is no francophone or anglophone hegemony over our actions or mindset. These were all intentional steps taken to ensure that our new members were open and motivated enough to take over when the current leadership is no longer here. typically consisting of dinners and conferences. This is a deliberate choice — we do not want to politicize anti-racism. We do not participate in debates or polemics– there is more than enough opportunity for that within Sciences Po and its existing associations!

We finished last year with an ambitious cycle of conferences, and the first guest was renowned author of “Le Triangle et L’Hexagone,” Maboula Soumahoro. In the conference, she exposed the reality of a being a Black Muslim woman in France and provided a rich reflection of the articistic, political, and literary tradition of the Black disapora in France. This was followed by a conference by Rim-Sarah Alouane which grappled with the rise of Islamophobia in France and the weaponization of laïcité in the political arena. We finished the year on a high with a celebration of people of color (POC) talent in the arts. We invited a panel of diverse artists, musicians, writers, and photographers to discuss their work, inspiration, and experience navigating their fields as POCs.

This year, we began with several organizational meetings to improve our structure before we embarked on the challenge of creating a campus-wide anti-racism training session which was to be held in October. Unfortunately, due to administrational incompetency, it was cancelled at the last minute and our hard work sadly did not yield the sessions we had envisioned. We had hoped to give general talks on anti-racism, as well as present the testimonies and data from our campus wide survey (all available on our Instagram page!). Understandably, there was low morale within the team after the administration blocked our efforts, as we had spent weeks preparing