The 9-3, Symbol of the Ghetto in the Nation

In everyday representations, “9-3” is often used as an example to denounce the existence of territories held by drug lords or by Islamists. But in fact, there is no no-go zone, neither is there Sharia zone in Seine-Saint-Denis. Instead, police is conducting a background preventive action, little known and highlighted, which does not allow to rebuild a relationship of trust with the population. What is at stake are the modalities of action and the mission entrusted to the police in these territories. This reveals the racial component of social order in France, denied in majority representations of the nation. Reinterpreting this racial issue under a religious angle makes its resolution even more complex, particularly in the context of the deadly terrorist attacks of ISIS in France since January 2015.