French police angry over chokehold ban hold march in Paris
PARIS — French police defied a ban on mass gatherings to protest what they see as a lack of government support, marching shoulder to shoulder Friday in central Paris to show their anger against new limits on arrest tactics — including a ban on chokeholds — and criticism of racism in their ranks.
The marchers went down the Champs-Elysees, the Parisian thoroughfare that was the scene of violent clashes with protesters a few months ago.
The French government’s decision to ban chokeholds is part of its efforts to stem police brutality and racism following global protests over George Floyd’s death in the U.S. French police have taken issue with any suggestion of systemic racism in their ranks.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said this week that any “strong suspicion” of racism would be punished, in response to investigations into racist comments on closed Facebook and WhatsApp groups for police.
Friday’s protest was small but highly visible, with honking, flags and blue smoke blowing under rainy skies. It came after police outside Paris laid their handcuffs on the ground outside some police stations. As officers marched close together, with hardly a mask in sight, Paris police issued a bulletin confirming that anti-police-brutality protests planned this weekend were banned because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Friday’s group walked unimpeded to the Interior Ministry, which is next to the presidential palace and has been barricaded against demonstrators since the 2018 “yellow vest” protests, which called for economic justice and frequently resulted in violent clashes. After a minute of silence for dead police officers, they sang the national anthem, spoke briefly and dispersed.
“French police are the most controlled in the world, so when there are certain lapses by a tiny minority, don’t stigmatize all police,” said Fabien Vanhemelryck of the Alliance union. He accused politicians of responding hastily to a crisis in the United States “that has nothing to do with us.”
Police unions met Thursday and Friday with Castaner to discuss changes to police tactics after the minister announced Monday that police would no longer be taught to seize suspects by the neck or push on their necks. Castaner stopped short of banning another technique — pressing on a prone suspect’s chest — that also has been blamed for leading to asphyxiation and possible death.
Such immobilization techniques have come under growing criticism since Floyd’s death.
Unions floated the idea this week of widening the use of stun guns, which are available to only a few specialized officers.
France has seen several anti-police-brutality protests sparked by Floyd’s death. Friday’s protest on the Champs-Elysees was striking because the avenue was repeatedly the scene of violence between police and the yellow-vest protesters late last year.
Last week, the Paris prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into allegations of racist insults and comments instigating racial hatred written in private police Facebook and WhatsApp groups.