France’s CNCDH Condemns Police Repression against Protestors

France’s National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH) sounded, recently, the alarm over certain police actions observed during their intervention in protests since March 16.
CNCDH noted that, since January, the government’s pension reform plan triggered large-scale demonstrations all over France.
“In January 2020, the CNCDH had already alerted on illegitimate police violence concerning the Yellow Vests movement. I deeply regret that, three years later, the CNCDH has to make this same observation of abusive and worrying actions by the forces of order,” said CNCDH President Jean-Marie Burguburu.
Many demonstrators were arrested and placed in police custody in an arbitrary way. In Paris, 292 people were taken into custody on the evening of March.16, when they went to the Place de la Concorde to express their discontent with the use of Article 49.3, and only nine were prosecuted.
Journalists’ unions also condemned the detention of two journalists on March.17 after they were arrested during demonstrations.
The CNCDH also said that forces of order also used “kettling” to disperse protestors.
The multiplication of police violence captured by cell phones and broadcast on social networks is discrediting the entire police force, warned CNCDH.
The consultative commission called on police officers to respect the law, stressing that increased police repression cannot be the appropriate response to the political and social problems.