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62 policemen injured and beaten – 81 protesters arrested
| Reading time: 2 minutes
French street protests are on the rise
In France, a new law is aimed at restricting the publication of video recordings of police operations. Resistance is increasing across the country. The initially peaceful protests quickly escalated. There are violent riots.
A law in France aims to restrict video recordings of police operations. Then cases of brutal police violence are brought to light again. In many cities, people make their displeasure heard. There are also riots.
secondl massive protests against police violence and for press freedom in France, 62 police officers and gendarmes were injured on Saturday, including 23 in the capital Paris. As the Interior Ministry announced on Sunday, there were also 81 arrests on the sidelines of the protests. Videos posted on online networks showed police officers being beaten by protesters.
French authorities did not initially provide any information on the number of protesters injured in Paris. Police reported two injured protesters from the rest of the country.
Among the injured is a photographer who works for the AFP news agency and who reported on the demonstration in Paris. The journalists’ organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) criticized the police for the “unacceptable” violence. Photographer Ameer al Halbi was hit in the face with a truncheon, RSF Secretary General Christophe Deloire said on the Twitter online service.
More than 100,000 people protested against the law designed to protect police officers. Riots broke out on the sidelines of a demonstration in Paris: a small group of protesters threw cobblestones at police officers, who in turn responded using tear gas. Organizers of the protests even announced 500,000 participants across the country. The French Interior Ministry spoke of 133,000 protesters across the country and 46,000 participants in Paris.
There was a fight in Paris. Some then set fire to the facade of the central bank and police barricades. Amid the uproar, firefighters found it difficult to reach the scene of the riots. There were also clashes in the Breton city of Rennes and the police used tear gas.
In the rest of the country, the dozen demonstrations were largely peaceful. The protests are directed against a bill that is said to penalize the publication of photos or videos of police officers on duty if the intention is to violate their “physical and psychological integrity”.
The government of President Emmanuel Macron believes the law is necessary to protect officials from threats and attacks by marginalized violent groups. Civil rights groups, journalists and victims of police violence fear that the measure may restrict press freedom and mask brutal behavior by security forces.
Source: AFP / GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT
Recent cases of police violence in France have made the debate more explosive. Video footage surfaced Thursday of officials beating a black music producer in Paris. Macron himself was concerned and said the recordings “embarrass us.” And recently, images of the brutal evacuation of an immigrant camp by the Paris police caused massive criticism.
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