In Paris, dozens of police officers protested against the government’s plans to tighten the fight against police violence. “The police are free from racism, they save lives regardless of their colour,” said one of the demonstrators, a member of the police union.
Another demonstrator said that unfounded allegations of racism by police officers “hurt their dignity” and violated the presumption of innocence. The first protests took place on the evening of 11 June in Lille, Marseille and other French cities. The protesters were defiantly handcuffed to the ground.
The French police are against unfounded allegations of racism.
A few days ago, the French Minister of the Interior, Christophe Castanar, announced new measures against racism by police officers. In particular, he stated the need for “systematic dismissal” of police officers found to be racist, as well as the prohibition of asphyxiation, which is sometimes used in detention.