French prosecutors have opened an inquiry after a riot police officer was filmed punching a detained protester at a demonstration in Paris. The move comes after several alleged incidents of police brutality against pension reform protesters and Yellow Vest anti-government demonstrators, reports Radio France Internationale.
In the incident filmed during a Yellow Vest protest on January 18th, a man with a bloodied head is seen being held down on his back by a helmeted officer, who then strikes him hard in the face.
The Paris prosecutors' office said it ordered the police oversight body to launch an investigation into "intentional violence by a person in a position of public authority".
Another video of the incident, filmed near the Gare de l'Est train station by the television channel of the French AFP news agency, shows the man screaming in pain on his stomach as the officer pins down his elbow with his knee.
"The police chief has asked the department of public order to give a full account of this incident," the Paris police department said.
The authorities said 60 people were detained during the demonstration, which was again marked by sporadic clashes between protesters and police, with 45 held for questioning afterwards.
The protests were the latest of the weekly Saturday demonstrations held by Yellow Vest demonstrators since November 2018, and which have been boosted by opponents of a planned pensions overhaul.