Assa Traoré calls for concrete action against racism in France, Digi Mart USA News (Trappes and La Verrière, Yvelines, France): Anti-racism activist Assa Traoré, sister of Adama Traoré and founder of the Committee for Truth and Justice for Adama, was a guest of Africa Radio on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at 7:45 a.m.
Following the racist attack in Trappes and La Verrière, in the Yvelines, on October 23, emotion and calls for mobilization have multiplied across France. Traoré urges that the mobilization not be allowed to fade, welcoming the announced national tribute to the victims but demanding concrete actions, a strengthened law and reparations for the families.
Traoré believes the mobilization triggered by the October 23 attack does not yet reflect a genuine collective awareness. She argues that recognition of the racist dimension of the attack required a fight by activists and associations.
“It took the President of the Republic arriving in Trappes and qualifying these acts as a racist attack and crime for awareness to be raised,” she said. “This awareness is not national for everyone.
It was an attack, we had to fight to claim it and put it forward. The awareness came afterward because activists and associations stood up.”
The activist calls for maintaining pressure beyond emotion and tributes. She cites rallies organized in Trappes and Aubervilliers to denounce racist violence.
“Today, someone can get up and go kill Black people and Arabs. We must denounce it,” she said, calling on citizens, whether activists or not, to mobilize.
Traoré welcomes the announced national tribute to the victims, particularly for the bereaved families, but refuses to let it be limited to a symbolic gesture. “Obviously, it is very good, for Pengo and his family.
It is important so the families can move forward, but we must go beyond a national tribute. A national tribute is not enough,” she insisted.
She calls in particular for strengthened legislation and reparations for the victims and their relatives. “We need an explicit law.
There is already a law, but it must be strengthened. There must be reparation.
We cannot move forward without reparation,” she said.
The activist also denounces the contradiction between official tributes and the persistence of racist remarks in the media space. “We cannot ask for a moment of silence, ask for a national tribute, and at the same time hear extremely serious racist remarks on our television channels and on the radio.
We must not forget next week,” she said.
Since the death of her brother Adama Traoré in July 2016, during a gendarmerie intervention in Beaumont-sur-Oise, Traoré has waged a fight for truth and justice. According to her, this mobilization helped force questions of racism and police violence into French political debate.
“What this taught me is that public authorities were not ready to hear that there is racism in France. It is a word that greatly bothers them.
We imposed the question of racism and police violence. We imposed these questions on political forces,” she said.
She calls for continued educational work and changing mentalities: “Acknowledging that racism exists is not a weakness, it saves our lives.”
Now a figure in the anti-racism struggle, Traoré says she did not choose this role. “If I am here speaking to you, it is because my brother died.
I am the sister of Adama Traoré,” she said. Despite the difficulties and years of struggle, she says she does not intend to give up.
Her message is also a call for courage and citizen mobilization. “What I want to say to people is not to be afraid.
When you are not afraid, you can do anything. When you have a legitimate fight, no one can stop us.
It is a fight I will never abandon. We will keep fighting for law, justice, equality and fraternity.
No one frightens me,” she concluded.
