French police suicide rate rises after months of protests

The number of suicides among police in France has reached a record 28 deaths in the first three months of 2019. This comes as police unions and the Ministry of the Interior have condemned the protesters' calls for the "police kill themselves" in response to the charges. excessive force used during demonstrations.

Earlier this week, in western France, graffiti calling the police to commit suicide were removed from the facade of a police station in Landivisiau, Finistere.

"Kill you" and "the cops who kill themselves are hardly excused" were written on the walls of the police station and were followed by calls from protesters urging the police to commit suicide at the 23rd weekend of protests Yellow Vest in France last Saturday.

As a result of initial investigations into the Finistère incident, the graffiti was accompanied by the acronym ACAB, generally attributed to the militants of the Far Left, which means "all cops are bastards". The capitals "A" have been encircled – a symbol widely used to refer to anarchists.

This happened as the protesters of the "Yellow Vest" shouted "kill you" to the Paris police, who launched tear gas and rubber bullets and charged the crowd to contain the violence during the demonstrations this weekend.

"Unacceptable" behavior
Police unions denounced the protesters' call as an insult to the police officers who committed suicide and their suffering families.

Sending to RFI, Brigadier Fabien Golfier called these actions "completely unacceptable and criminal, for us, they are no longer protesters, but thugs who now face the police." He claims that the yellow vest's demonstrations have been overtaken by the so-called "Black Bloc" anarchist movement.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner called the actions "shameful".

The Paris prosecutor's office said that an investigation had been opened to identify people likely to be prosecuted for "group crime against a person exercising public authority" .

Increase in suicide
According to the police unions, there were 28 police suicides in France in the first three months of the year, compared to 32 in 2018.

According to Golfier, "the police generally have a higher suicide rate than the rest of the population, which explains nothing … but it is obvious that overwork, increased occupational and socio-economic risks, and image of our society. " the profession are all recurring factors ".

And despite accusations of excessive use of force by the police against protesters, Mr. Golfier added: "We forget that the police are fathers and mothers who face the same difficulties as the rest of the population and who , at the same time, must protect solve the problems of the population ".

Conviction across the spectrum
Jerome Rodrigues, one of the leaders of the Yellow Vest movement, also condemned the protesters who carried out these actions, saying that it taints the whole movement, even if only a few people are responsible.

National Rally leader Marine Le Pen said it was "shameful" and Francois-Xavier Bellamy of the Republican opposition party said that those responsible for the taunts should all be punished.

The situation worsens
Ian Brossat, of the French Communist Party told RFI that such actions could not be "tolerated" and that people demanding more suicides in the police should be prosecuted.

Brossat said the situation worsens because the government has not been able to provide a political solution to a problem that has been going on for five months.

"I am convinced that you can not provide security measures to respond to a political problem," Brossat told RFI.

He added that the change of head of security in Paris had done nothing to defuse the tension and brought no change.

Yellow Vest Effect
When asked if the Yellow Vest demonstrations, which began in November 2018, had a direct impact on the morale of the French police, Mr. Golfier said: "Since the beginning of the yellow vest movement and at the Over the past few months … the opinions of street protesters have been a morale booster.

We have this negative image that comes mainly from social networks and the media. This time, police morale is low. "

However, there is a paradox, adds Golfier, "the paradox is that 75% of the population has confidence in the police".