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Demonstrators and journalists had been arbitrarily arrested and subjected to excessive techniques, the CNCDH says
France’s nationwide human rights fee has condemned the police’s dealing with of a current wave of anti-government demonstrations. The group mentioned peaceable protesters had been herded into “traps” and summarily arrested throughout rallies towards President Emmanuel Macron’s determination to extend the retirement age.
In an announcement on Thursday, the French Nationwide Consultative Fee on Human Rights (CNCDH) mentioned that, of the 292 protesters arrested on March 16 in Paris, solely 9 had been prosecuted. This means “an extreme use of police custody” so as to stifle authentic protest, the group claimed.
Two journalists had been arrested at a protest the next day. The CNCDH identified that journalists aren’t required to adjust to orders from police to disperse.
Moreover, the group famous that police used “entice” techniques to corral giant teams of demonstrators in violation of a 2020 police reform invoice. These techniques can lead to harmless protesters being held in place by riot police for hours on finish, and are permitted by the European Courtroom of Human Rights solely in circumstances the place there’s “an actual threat of significant hurt to individuals or property.”
“Elevated police repression can’t be the suitable response to the political and social issues the federal government is at present dealing with,” the CNCDH report acknowledged. “France’s credibility on the worldwide scene relies on it.”
Macron’s authorities used government privilege to cross a pension reform invoice and not using a parliamentary vote on March 16. The invoice – which raises the retirement age in France from 62 to 64 – had already been condemned by commerce unions and opposition events, and its passage triggered nationwide protests and riots.
Greater than 1,000,000 folks took to the streets on Thursday, with rallies in Paris degenerating into violence as rioters hurled rocks and molotov cocktails at officers. Police responded with tear gasoline and water cannons, and greater than 450 folks had been arrested nationwide, most of them within the capital. Demonstrators lit greater than 900 fires on the streets, and 441 cops had been injured, Inside Minister Gerald Darmanin mentioned on Friday morning.
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