“For The Politicians, We are Nothing,” Protesters in France Said.

Amine was 17 years old when his brother’s severely charred body was discovered in a burning car’s trunk.

He looks up at the dirty high-rise apartments that surround us and adds, “Unfortunately, my brother fell into drugs early.

We are sitting in one of Marseille’s most dangerous neighborhoods and chatting about his brother, who had been involved in drug trafficking prior to his death.

Amine, now 19 years old, grew up in this area on the Frais-Vallon estate, a sizable and impoverished social housing project marred by gang and drug-related violence in the city’s north.

A couple of young lads are lounging nearby on a wall. Here, drug dealers operate brazenly in the glaring midday sun.

Amine claims that for the youngsters who are raised here and have little access to resources and even fewer opportunities, trafficking is an enticing option.

There aren’t any other choices. No businesses are coming here and offering to pay you more than the minimum wage. Here, people work as security guards, cleaners, or supermarket cashiers. We cannot practice as accountants, attorneys, or judges.

The recent riots, which were especially violent in Marseille, didn’t surprise him. A 27-year-old man was slain in this area while businesses, including a gun store, were looted and vandalized.

The individual who died, according to the prosecution, was struck in the chest by a “flashball” police rubber bullet. He is believed to have had a heart attack, while the exact circumstances are unknown.

After demonstrations against the police shooting death of Nahel M, 17, in Paris, there were rioting.

Amine claims that nothing will change since “we are always in the same mess, the same sorrow, so I understand the young people’s fury. Although I don’t condone violence, I can understand it.

The riots and their aftermath have made clear how deeply so many French citizens feel abandoned, resentful, and angry.

We encountered Mado, a middle-aged resident of the estate, close to where there used to be a local police station.

Many people saw this as a tangible tie to the French state, and its disappearance was a somber symbol of a growing estrangement.

Mado says, “Living here is like living in a dumpster.” “It isn’t secure. People urinate on the stairwells and elevators. We are irrelevant to the politicians. In reality, we are nothing.

The riots and their aftermath have made clear how deeply so many French citizens feel abandoned, resentful, and angry.

We encountered Mado, a middle-aged resident of the estate, close to where there used to be a local police station.

Many people saw this as a tangible tie to the French state, and its disappearance was a somber symbol of a growing estrangement.

Mado says, “Living here is like living in a dumpster.” “It isn’t secure. People urinate on the stairwells and elevators. We are irrelevant to the politicians. In reality, we are nothing.

Marseille will be fixed, as President Emmanuel Macron pledged two years ago. He unveiled a €5 billion (£ 4.3 billion; $ 5.4 billion) strategy to address poverty and violence in the city.

Just before the riots, he returned to the southern port city to show his dedication.

“Everything has to move faster,” President Macron declared at the start of a three-day journey during which he visited the locations of regeneration projects including a police station, a school, a prison, and a hospital.

However, Amine, who has encountered him twice, has lost hope.

“When Macron visits, he does not come to listen to us; he comes to make announcements.”

Even Marseille’s mayor, Benoît Payan, acknowledges the need to unite his city.

“My town has been split between the wealthy and the destitute for far too long. between those who are taken into account by the government and those who are not.

It’s meant to be a core French ideal. However, equality is now a goal in this situation.