France stands alone in its hypocrisy about what it means to be a citizen of France .

The French national holiday, Bastille Day, July 14, fast approaches. Bastille Day marks the beginning of the French Revolution against the monarchy and for some form of representative government as well as comprehensive economic and social change. A legacy of the French Revolution, the Enlightenment expression "Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite" lives today as part of France’s 1958 Constitution. The motto is part of the fabric of the French nation.

A recent shooting death near Paris gives lie to the French motto. Last week, Nahel, a 17-year-old of Algerian and Moroccan descent, was shot dead in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. Nahel was unarmed. At first, the police claimed that Nahel attempted to run over the police, but then a video of the incident surfaced that greatly undermines that claim. The video suggests that it was a rage-fueled public execution by an officer of the French state. Since the public execution, France has burned. Riots marked by destruction of property, arson, and looting of high fashion retail stores continued through last weekend.

The death of Nahel is the catalyst for a close examination of the discrimination that immigrants and minorities confront in France.

Consider some data points. Youth unemployment in France exceeds 20% . Unemployment for minorities runs above 25% . The French government confiscates from the private sector almost 55% of national GDP. In theory, that confiscated wealth funds a comprehensive social welfare system in which every citizen has an equal opportunity for employment. The unemployment statistics for minorities demonstrate that the promise of equal opportunity is empty. The national poverty rate in France approaches 14% . In contrast, the relative poverty rate in the United States is about 11.6% . Importantly, real poverty has effectively been eradicated in the U.S.

France’s preeminent newspaper Le Monde says that unemployment and poverty rates are higher among the minority populations of the country. Law enforcement officers discriminate against minorities in France. Ethnic profiling is routine . Minority children say they are treated like dogs by the French police.

The U.S., like France, is characterized by diverse populations. But in the U.S., minority populations that strive succeed. That is not the case in France. Sadly, the words liberte, egalite, and fraternite are French fiction.

James Rogan is a former U.S. foreign service officer who later worked in finance and law for 30 years. He writes  a daily note  on finance and the economy, politics, sociology, and criminal justice.