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Police law
Protests rise, President Macron looks increasingly powerless: France spiraling into violence
Trace of devastation in Paris: Demonstrations against a police attack turn into riots in the French capital.
Violent protests in Paris: Demonstrations against police law escalated in France over the weekend.
More than 50,000 protesters protested in several French cities against the government’s security law, which provides for more surveillance, drone flights and local police. The situation worsened when the hooded activists separated from the peaceful crowd.
They broke shop windows and bus shelters, set cars on fire and fought with the police with projectiles. This arrested 95 protesters. 67 police officers were injured, an impressive record. Social concerns and demands to maintain freedom of the press and freedom of demonstration were largely drowned in chaos.
The government wants to adhere to its “global security” law; however, it withdraws central article 24, which was supposed to restrict the filming of police officers, “to reformulate it.”
Macron speaks directly to young people
On Friday, President Emmanuel Macron also gave a lengthy interview on the information portal “brut.fr”, popular with young people, to ease the tension. However, one of the journalists, Rémy Buisine, denounced how he had been mistreated by police officers while filming a demonstration.
Macron admitted that the now revised movie ban “is not a good way.” In fact, there is “police violence” and more police checks against dark-skinned youth than against whites. That is why it is creating a platform for reporting against police discrimination.
With this announcement, Macron only caused additional dissatisfaction. The young people bitterly informed him that this information platform already existed, although it never had consequences.
Police do not agree with Macron
Angry police officers said they would not be able to work if they were stabbed by their own government. Alianza union spokesman Frédéric Lagache suggested that the endless debate over police violence was just an excuse for real criminals to circumvent the checkpoints. If they did not become violent themselves, as is the “black block” doing. The high number of wounded police officers supports this view.
Like everything in France, the question of which side are the people really responsible for the use of force is answered in a purely political way. What is indisputable, however, is that the presidency of Emmanuel Macron has been falling into continuous conflict for two good years. Yellow vests, widespread protests against reform bills and now against police violence create the impression that the spiral of violence in France is spinning faster and faster.
The president reacts awkwardly
The inexperienced president reacts more and more awkwardly at the Elysee. Emmanuel Macron often lacks natural authority and tries to cover it up with hard-line positions, and soon overlooks them again. By withdrawing a key article from the Police Act midway, he infuriated both parties.
The growing social and political tension worries the French, especially in the unpredictable period of the Crown. Even political scientists no longer rule out that the current term could end in a mess if the right-wing populist Marine Le Pen became increasingly popular.
According to polls, the concerned French ask for an “authority”, even a “strong man”. On Sunday, the chief of staff, Pierre de Villiers, offered himself to the readers of a tabloid with a view to the upcoming elections.
