Hollande demands ‘justice’ in alleged French police rape

PARIS: French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday called for ‘ justice’ over the alleged rape of a black youth with a police baton, an incident that has sparked 10 nights of rioting and more than 200 arrests.

“Justice must be served,” Hollande said during a visit to Aubervilliers, located in the tough Seine- Saint- Denis region northeast of Paris where a 22-yearold youth worker, identified only as Theo, was assaulted on Feb 2.

But Hollande also condemned the ensuing riots, which have shaken the belt of gritty suburbs surrounding Paris.

The injuries sustained by Theo during a stop-and-search operation in the suburb of Aulnay-sousBois have sparked clashes with police and arson attacks across the impoverished, ethnicallymixed housing estates that ring the French capital.

The interior ministry said 245 people had been arrested over the protests which began on Feb 4. Several dozen have been taken into custody.

Theo suffered severe anal injuries requiring hospital treatment during his arrest by four officers, one of whom allegedly sodomised him with a truncheon.

One officer has been charged with rape and the three others with assault. All four have been suspended from the force.

On Tuesday, a separate investigation was launched into claims that one of the four officers beat up another black youth in Aulnay-sous-Bois on Jan 26.

The youth, also aged 22 who gave his name as Mohamed K, told L’Obs news weekly that he |had been punched, kicked and beaten with a baton. Pictures published by the paper showed severe swelling and bruises to his face.

Hollande said France was determined to “show that we are capable of living together in a peaceful society, but where respect is the rule and where we must be firm towards those who diverge from this principle”.

Separately, leading French artists launched an appeal calling for far-reaching reforms of the police to prevent similar episodes of alleged brutality. — AFP