Family urges Macron to act after Frenchman’s January arrest death

Paris, June 23: The family of a French delivery man who died in January after his arrest in Paris called Tuesday for the suspension of four officers and urged President Emmanuel Macron to take action. Cedric Chouviat, 42, a father of five, died in hospital two days after being pinned to the ground by officers in central Paris. It emerged this week he had shouted “I’m suffocating” repeatedly while being arrested.

France has seen demonstrations in recent weeks against alleged brutality and racism by the police, a controversy that has gained resonance since protests erupted in the United States over the killing by police of George Floyd.

Chouviat was stopped by police close to the Eiffel Tower in Paris on January 3 for a traffic control that degenerated into tensions. In video footage collected by investigators, he can be heard saying “I’m suffocating” seven times.

The lawyers for the four police officers involved, who have been questioned but not suspended, said Tuesday their clients didn’t hear Chouviat’s plea. He died in hospital two days after the arrest from the consequences of asphyxia, with “a fracture to the larynx”,

according to elements of the autopsy released by Paris prosecutors. “We want a firm response from President Emmanuel Macron,” Chouviat’s daughter Sofia said.

Video footage appears to show Chouviat with the weight of the police on his torso and according to two witnesses, the delivery driver was held in a chokehold. “We still don’t understand

why (the four policemen) haven’t been suspended and we don’t understand why the restraint technique (a chokehold) still hasn’t been banned,” Chouviat’s daughter said.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner announced a ban on the controversial technique earlier this month but backtracked after a backlash by police unions.. — AFP

Attempt to pull down statue of US ex-Prez Washington, June 23: Protesters tried to pull down a statue of President Andrew Jackson near the White House Monday night before being dispersed by police. WUSA-TV reported that police used pepper spray to move protesters out of Lafayette Square, where the statue is located. — AP