Maradona’s image emerged among massive protests in France

At least 37 gendarmes and police officers were injured during demonstrations this Saturday in France, amid protests against the new comprehensive security law promoted by the government of Emmanuel Macron.

“Police everywhere, justice nowhere”, “Police state” and “smile while hitting you” were among the most chanted slogans of the Parisian demonstration.

At the center of the controversy is article 24 of the draft, which punishes one year in prison and up to 45,000 euros in fines for the “malicious” dissemination of images of the police.

The government assures that this provision is intended to protect the police against hate speech and threats on social networks, with the disclosure of details of their privacy.

But critics argue that many cases of police violence would go unpunished if they had not been recorded by journalists ‘cameras or citizens’ phones.

They also argue that this is an unnecessary provision, since the current legal arsenal is sufficient to crack down on these crimes and that French law “punishes acts, not intentions”.

Amid the protests, a flag bearing the likeness of Maradona was seen.

In the midst of the debate on the sanction of the law, two cases of police violence revived the debate and triggered a real crisis within the Macron government.

Last Monday, during an activity of promising organizations, the police brutally evacuated those who had settled in a square in central Paris, and attacked journalists under the spotlight of cameras and smartphones.

Security cameras on Thursday showed the beating of a black music producer by three police officers. The press, social networks and some internationally renowned athletes have denounced police violence.

“Images which make us ashamed”, denounced Macron and instructed the government to present him “quickly with proposals” to “fight more effectively against any discrimination”.

Article 24

Faced with the indignation provoked by article 24, Prime Minister Jean Castex tried to find a way out by creating an “independent commission responsible for proposing a new wording”, but the initiative was rejected by parliamentarians from all walks of life.

Even from Brussels, the European Commission said on Monday that journalists should be able to “do their work freely and in safety”.

The coordination of the protests demands “the withdrawal of articles 21, 22 and 24” from the bill and the “withdrawal of the new national law enforcement regime” published in September, which during the demonstrations obliges journalists to disperse when the security forces give the order, preventing them from covering the evolution of events, often turbulent in recent times.

The bill was approved Tuesday in the National Assembly (deputies) but the text continues to cause controversy and promises to keep the pulse in the streets before the debate in the Senate which will take place in a little less than two months.

Troubles

The results of the protests were provided by the French Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, who condemned “once again, unacceptable violence against the police”, according to what he said on his Twitter account.

The organizers of the march asked the thousands of participants gathered in Place de la Bastille to leave the premises due to the increase in violence in the clashes between the police and groups declared “anti-fascist” which caused unrest in the surroundings. .

In the middle of the afternoon, the police began to use water cannons against the congregation, according to the newspaper “Le Figaro”, although in the last minutes the evacuation process seems to have resumed normally. For the moment, the figures of the injured or detained protesters have not been released.

Faced with the situation, “the organizers requested the dispersal of those present, who can now leave the Place de la Bastille,” the Paris police headquarters reported in a statement posted on its Twitter account.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the Parisian demonstration, the “March of freedoms against liberticidal laws” brought together a total of about 46,000 demonstrators, to which must be added thousands of other people who participated in similar marches in cities like Lille. , Montpellier or Bordeaux, in full social tension because of the police attack against the producer of black music Michel Zecler, captured by security cameras.

The clashes began with the exchange of thrown objects and tear gas between demonstrators and the police. The most serious incident took place in the square, where groups of hooded men set fire to a branch of the Banque de France and a kiosk.

The tension reoccurred in Lyon, where police used water cannons to disperse protesters.

The attack on Zecler revived the debate on the practices of the police and French President Emmanuel Macron admitted to being “shocked” by the images, captured by a security camera at the entrance of a studio. registration in Paris.

The footage was released on Thursday by the Loopsider portal, which also noted that the assaulted man collided with the police patrol while outside the study without a mask. The officers came to meet him, which resulted in a beating in which, according to Zecler, racist slurs were uttered.

The events took place on Saturday and initially led to the arrest of the producer, but the broadcast of the footage overturned the rhetoric and meant not only the release of Zecler and the withdrawal of charges, but also the suspension of the agents involved. , publicly criticized by the Minister of the Interior.

The controversy reached the Elysee Palace and Macron spoke for 15 minutes with Darmanin. According to sources close to the president quoted by the BFMTV channel, the president is “very shocked” by the images, which appeared just days after the violent expulsion of a migrant camp in the Plaza de la República in Paris.

The police opened internal investigations in both cases, also awaiting the judicial front that could be triggered by the alleged abuses. The prosecution summoned four agents on Friday to question them about the beatings on Zecler.