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In France, mass protests began, with clashes with police over a law protecting law enforcement from filming. Photo: Le Monde
As Brussels tries to financially punish Poland and Hungary for the alleged “attack on the rule of law”, much more dramatic things are happening in one of the leaders of the EU: France.
The country was shaken by the “Maidan” in response to the authorities’ attempt to tighten the screws on fundamental freedoms.
After a wave of yellow vest protests against President Macron’s policies, half a million French people took to the streets for the Freedom March against the Global Security Bill, which aims to protect the police from protesters and journalists.
Beat the photographer
People rebelled against an article of the law that prohibits the removal of police officers while on duty with the aim of “damaging physical or mental integrity”. Showing the faces of law enforcement officers is punishable by one year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros, supposedly to avoid the persecution of citizens against police officers and their families.
Discontent began to grow after the appearance on social media of footage of the dispersal of migrants at the Place de la République on November 23 and a video recording of the beating of music producer Michel Zeckler on the door of his studio in Paris. .
He went to work without a mask. Three policemen ran after him. They caught up with him in the studio and beat him until he broke his arm.
If it weren’t for the video footage from the surveillance cameras, which garnered 13 million views on social media, the case would likely have been muted. The police were suspended from work even before the trial began.
All of this sparked a massive protest on Saturday, which turned into clashes with the police.
The protesters began to erect barricades, stones, bottles, firecrackers and barriers were used. The police responded with stun grenades and tear gas. And he also used force brutally against protesters.
Then, during the demonstration, the head of Syrian photographer Amir al-Khalbi, who works with the AFP agency, was crushed. The secretary general of the international organization Reporters Without Borders, Christophe Deloire, condemned the unacceptable police violence against the photojournalist.
France-based Syrian photographer’s head smashed during protests
Earlier, the lower house of the French parliament in the first reading approved the law “On global security”. The controversial article 24 was introduced into the text of the bill under pressure from police unions, who complain about the increase in violence against law enforcement officials. However, journalists’ associations and human rights activists fear “a disproportionate attack on freedom of expression,” reports Deutsche Welle.
Another provision of the bill, according to which journalists must pre-register to cover demonstrations on the ground, was harshly criticized. The European Commission has already ruled on the new regulations, warning that the media must continue to do their work freely. The opposition demands that Macron withdraw the document, which has not yet been approved by the Senate.
The new law particularly angered activists and journalists, who will now find it more difficult to cover mass actions and report violations. Major publications and television channels even made an open statement on this issue.
“Who will determine for what purpose the photo was taken? Malicious or not? The police?” – quoted by Vincent Lanier, Euronews journalist and union representative. “It will lead to self-censorship.”
“If we can no longer take photographs or photographs, who will protect us from police violence?” – said Camilla Le Monde, 23 years old.
“France is becoming a police state”
In the community of experts, the law is considered an attack on democracy, and this is in the country of “old Europe”, which is considered one of the most democratic. The reason is the attempt by the authorities to prevent future uprisings.
“Once again, Macron attacks one of our fundamental freedoms: freedom of expression. It is the pride of our democracy. This time the attack refers to the freedom of filming. Immediately after Macron took office, his prosecutors began to attack attack the independent media of the oligarchs and the authorities Laws that restrict press freedom, including the classified information law, which prohibits journalists from investigating financial fraud by large companies. The French government also does not like the disclosure of arms sales to the world’s most feudal regimes. In this sense, some journalists were accused of divulging military secrets. “- French political scientist Pierre Hafner tells us.
The country has been rocked by the repression of opposition movements, including the Yellow Vests, Hafner said.
“Thousands beaten, hundreds of crippled, some have lost an eye, an arm. This put the security forces in an uncomfortable position. The authorities have solved the problem in their own way, forbidding them to show images of atrocities in the media. and the Internet. Illegal acts. This new law prohibits obtaining information about illegal acts of violence committed by the authorities on behalf of the French, silences scandals and abuse of power, “says Hafner.
The target of the new article of the law are journalists, bloggers and people in general with a smartphone in hand. While conducting the demonstration, the person with the camera will be charged with attempting to inflict moral or psychological harm on the police officer.
“A member of the Macron party and author of this law, Jean-Michel Fauvergue, 63, is the former head of the rapid response team of the French police. He wrote this law for himself and his colleagues. The police state is the state in which that the police write the laws for the police. Now Because of this law, Macron’s party “Forward, Republic!” can be renamed to “Back, Republic!” – Hafner scoffs.
It is curious that the same law allows the surveillance of people through drones equipped with a facial recognition system. All data will be collected on screens located at the police headquarters.
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“Flocks of drones will close the skies of French cities during the demonstrations or spy on opponents. The order of the law has not yet been adopted, but the police are already working illegally on it. During one of the demonstrations, a French woman she released balloons with a nasty inscription regarding Macron. The police used a drone to monitor her house, and then they approached the address and detained her, although somehow this woman did not violate the law. Also, all policemen will have one chest camera. Police will see everything, but people will not see anything. We will not be able to provide any information or counterarguments. to give power. That is, there can be no real opposition. We are left without protection. In short, we will live under a dictatorship, “Hafner believes.
Dead end for Macron
Another factor is Macron’s sharp turn to the right amid terror attacks and future elections.
According to Omar Arfush, a political scientist living in France, the president has been pursuing a far-right policy for several months. In particular, he wants to pass legislation to combat “Islamic separatism”, which has enraged Muslims living in France.
“This law has almost been passed, only the word separatism has been removed. The law on global security has caused controversy throughout France, many believed that it would end freedom of the press and freedom of expression. After all, the people She is often beaten up and only photographic evidence helps. This is an example of the egregious case of dark-skinned producer Zeckler, who was beaten to death by the police just because he was standing outside his studio without a mask, and hit him screaming Racists. He was only saved by the fact that there were CCTV cameras near the studio, the images reached the media. The police tried to prove that it was he who attacked them and tried to take away their weapons. And after that all the journalists Demonstrations began against the controversial law. The outbreak of protests was also affected by the new quarantine, for almost a month there have been restrictions on the work of restaurants and shops, and outings. From the covid, the French have closed their houses, secretly pass laws that prohibit journalists from working freely. to call the scandalous bill to calm society (including the prime minister, former president Hollande who made such a request to the president), ”Arfush tells us.
Macron, according to Arfush, was at a dead end.
“If the law is passed, it means that he will rebel against the press, against the Prime Minister and against all intellectuals in France. And if he withdraws it, then he will lose the electorate he wants to madly conquer – the right and the far right, so which, in fact, and this law was created. And, of course, he will lose the respect and support of the police and the army. Both options that Macron had left him are bad for him, “says the expert.
In Ukraine, meanwhile, they compare the protests in France and their brutal dispersion with what is happening in Belarus and what happened during the Ukrainian Maidan and wonder why there is no outrage at the actions of the French authorities.
“France, Paris. Did you not see the tranquility of our Kuleba or Zelensky? No? Or we do not understand, is this different?”, Writes journalist Max Nazarov.
“The reaction of the diplomats to the violence and the violation of the right to protest was immediate and harsh. The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, expressed his disgust at the events and described them as unacceptable. The German Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, urged the government to refrain from violence, and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt described these events as the confrontation between Europe and Eurasia.
All this was said about Ukraine-2013.
But this is not the case in France today. Everything is democratic and with full respect for freedom of assembly, opinion and association. You don’t understand it, ”writes attorney Elena Lukash.
