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Kate Adie introduces insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents and writers.

Kate Adie introduces insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers telling stories from around the world.

From Our Own Correspondent: Grief and grievances in France's banlieues

06/07/2023

Grief and grievances in France's banlieues

BBC Radio 4 - From Our Own Correspondent, Grief and grievances in France's banlieues

What lies behind the riots that erupted after the French police's killing of young Nahel?

The French police's killing of the teenager Nahel in Paris led to violent protests. But what does the death reveal about life in the suburbs, and what does it mean for his mother?

The bereaved mother of Nahel M., who was killed by police in Paris.  And stories from Brazil, Somalia, Finland and Sicily.

Last week French police killed a 17-year old young man of North African origin during a traffic stop. This led to angry rioting and looting in Paris and other cities. But what underlies the anger and what does the death mean for the mother who lost her only child? Katya Adler has been to the Paris suburb where Nahel died. 

Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro has been convicted of abusing his power for casting doubt on the country's voting system, and banned from running for office for 8 years.  But, says Camilla Mota, political divisions remain deep. There's even a dating app for those who don't fancy a Bolsonarista. 

Somalia has a large diaspora that fled the civil war of the 1980s and 90s and the instability, even famine, that have afflicted the country since. At least 100,000 live in Britain. Many are second-generation Somalis who have never been to Somalia. Among them, Soraya Ali - until now. So what was it like to go "back"?

As a consequence of the war in Ukraine, Finland joined NATO this year. It was a big turning point, because Finland’s history has long been intertwined with Russia. And so as Emilia Jansson found, the pivot to the West brought many changes. But not the giving up of paskha, a Russian cheesecake. 

Sicily’s capital Palermo prides itself in its UNESCO world heritage-listed old town, with monuments from the times of Byzantine, Arab and Norman rule. And now there is a square marking the stay of an Irish debutante, Violet Gibson, who almost killed Mussolini. Richard Dove has her story.

Presenter: Kate Adie
Producer: Arlene Gregorius
Editor: China Collins
Credit: Photo by YOAN VALAT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

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