A/49/677 English Page 19 90. In the United Kingdom, cases of violence against Blacks have been reported, including a case of a young victim of arson in London just because he was dating a white girl. A tenth of his body was burnt. 91. In France, as indicated above, there have also been reports of assaults against young Blacks by the police who, under the French immigration law of December 1993, are authorized to carry out identity checks. The case of a young Angolan, 23 years of age, who, after being interrogated by the police, jumped into the Seine, is well known. C. Racism and racial discrimination against Arabs 92. Persons of Arab origin, often assumed fundamentalists, experience discrimination the issue of visas and residence permits. violence on the part of individuals or the to be terrorists or Muslim in Europe, particularly in respect of They are also victims of acts of police. 93. In France, the Commission nationale consultative des droits de l’homme notes that North Africans are always a preferred target: in France, it observes in its annual report for 1992, "anti-Arab racism greatly exceeds all other forms of discrimination". Since 1980, acts targeting this community have consisted of: acts of violence - 505; killed - 23; and wounded - 232. 39/ 94. The racist threat which tends to target North Africans in particular often takes the form of tracts, mostly of an inflammatory nature. The first example of this type, known as the "false tract of the Amicale des Algériens en Europe" dates from 1966. It periodically resurfaces in France. Once produced, these tracts, which often have a concluding note that states "to be widely reproduced and circulated", are photocopied and redistributed on the "chain" principle. This process makes it particularly difficult to identify either the originators or the successive distributors. 95. Police brutality is also directed at persons of Arab origin. cases which follow have been reported by Amnesty International. The three 96. Jacques Cherigui, of French and Algerian parents, was arrested in his home in Argenteuil without a warrant and for no apparent reason. He emerged from custody 19 hours after his arrest, covered with cuts and bruises and with his right hand permanently damaged. He made two formal complaints about his treatment, backed by medical reports, but they were not investigated by the court. According to Jacques Cherigui, the police demanded entry to his flat without explaining what they wanted, seized and handcuffed him and threw him down four flights of stairs. In the police van, a police officer sat on his neck, forcing him to bend over double and making it nearly impossible for him to breathe. The officer allegedly told his colleagues: "This trick calms them down very quickly, these wogs." Jacques Cherigui was punched in the stomach and repeatedly insulted. In the police station, he said, he was called a "filthy wog", and told: "You ought to go back to your own country." He was released after being charged with resisting arrest and insulting the police. He sought medical treatment for injuries which included cuts and bruises to his arms, /...