Is France cracking down too hard on yellow vest protesters? A top European human rights official thinks so, joining other critics decrying the police use of high-velocity rubber projectiles and a draft law that could authorize local officials to prevent people from taking part in protests on public order grounds, reports The Japan Times.
French authorities say police are facing an increasingly radicalized movement, one with a violent fringe intent on attacking security forces. More than 2,000 people, including protesters and police, have been injured since the yellow vest demonstrations started in November, over economic problems.
Concerned about the police reaction to the protests, Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Dunja Mijatovic came to Paris this week to meet with French officials.
Mijatovic acknowledged the pressures police forces are under but expressed particular worry about injuries from rubber ball launchers and other anti-riot methods used by police. Several protesters have reported serious injuries from being hit by the balls.
“The high level of tension currently prevailing in France gives me cause for concern, and I believe that there is an urgent need to calm the situation,” Mijatovic said in a statement Wednesday.
Read more of this Associated Press report published by The Japan Times.