With a noticeable nervousness, the French government reacted to the increasing protests against racism and violence in police operations. This Saturday, planned by new demonstrations. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has announced that he will ban violations of the demonstration will not be punished. “The Emotion is stronger than legal rules,” he said in the TV channel BFM-TV. President Emmanuel Macron described racism as a “betrayal of the Republican universalism”. “It is a disease that affects the whole of society,” said the head of state, according to the government spokesperson Sibeth Ndiaye at the recent Cabinet meeting.
Michaela Wiegel
Political correspondent, based in Paris.
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The police have recorded their methods and demonstrations modernize. Macron is afraid of an uprising of the Banlieue youth, who has suffered under the strict Lockdown especially. The recent protests, the French took part mostly with immigration background. In a hastily arranged televised address the President wants to record on Sunday “perspectives”, the Elysée Palace said.
Racist police officers to be suspended
the Minister of the interior Castaner expressed that he had heard “the Outcry” against police violence. At a hurriedly convened press conference, he presented a plan of action that will lead to “zero tolerance” for racism in the ranks of the guards. “I’ll say it again with emphasis: racism has no place in our society and even less in our police,” said the Minister. He promised that officials should be systematically suspended from duty, if a “proven suspicion” against them was. The term “proven suspicion” is formulated so vague, that the police trade unions have expressed the concern that the officials would be put under General suspicion. “A suspicion is not a proven fact”, taught Marine Le Pen, the Minister of the interior.
The so-called stranglehold, a controversial arrests of the technique of the French police, should henceforth be prohibited. So far, the colloquial language was also taught “sweat box” method referred officially to the police schools. The police unions have criticised the ban. The Secretary-General of the largest police Union Alliance, Fabien Vanhemelryck, said the government should at least show an alternative to arrest methods, before you pronounce a ban.
