Police

Probe opened into video of Paris protestor beaten by police officer

France — Link

Prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation after videos filmed during a 'Yellow Vest' anti-government protest in the French capital on January 18th showed a man with a bloodied head being held down on his back by a helmeted officer, who then strikes him hard in the face.

'Five detained' in probe into Paris police HQ murders

France — Link

French media reports citing official sources said five people, including an imam, have been detained in connection with the murders of four staff at Paris police headquarters on October 3rd during a stabbing rampage by an IT worker at the site, Mickaël Harpon, which is being investigated by anti-terrorism police.

Macron pays tribute to police staff murdered by colleague

France — Link

Calling on France to mobilise against 'underground Islamism', President Emmanuel Macron led a ceremony on Tuesday in homage to four staff who were stabbed to death at Paris police headquarters last Thursday by one of their colleagues in an attack which investigators believe was motivated by his allegiance with Islamist extremists.

French interior minister under pressure after Paris knife attack

France — Link

A right-wing senator accused Christophe Castaner of failing in his duties and called for him to step down as a 'matter of national security'.

Anti-terror police take over probe into deadly Paris knife attack

France — Link

The decision to treat it as possible terrorist attack is said to have been taken following interviews with attacker's wife and several close associates.

Paris police employee stabs four to death in force HQ

France — Link

The 45-year-old IT assistant killed three police officers and an administrative worker before he was shot dead by an officer.

Greek economist Varoufakis 'manhandled' by police at Paris airport

International — Link

Yanis Varoufakis, the outspoken former Greek finance minister and co-founder of the leftwing DiEM25 (Democracy in Europe Movement), has complained he was 'manhandled' by a police officer at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport, who he said used 'physical violence' during a passport check.

French police to face charges over 'yellow vest' protest injuries

France — Link

Public prosecutor Rémy Heitz said that after investigations into 174 incidents, police officers would be sent before the courts by end of the year.

Probe opened into yellow vest 'suicide' jibes at French police

France — Link

Paris prosecution services have opened an investigation into reported jibes aimed at police by anti-government ‘yellow vest’ protestors in Paris on Saturday in which they allegedly shouted ‘kill yourselves’ in a reference to a police union revelation last week that 28 officers have committed suicide since January 1st.

Israeli police halt 'PA-sponsored' event at French centre in Jerusalem

International — Link

Israeli police interrupted an event at an official French cultural centre in Jerusalem on Thursday, claiming it intended to host an event organized with a women’s association 'sponsored or financed by the Palestinian Authority' and 'without authorization'.

French police officers jailed for raping Canadian tourist

France — Link

Two men sentenced to seven years for the rape of Emily Spanton - who chose to waive her right to anonymity - at Paris police HQ.

Yellow vest militant 'blinded for life' by French police 'rubber bullet'

France — Link

A lawyer for Jérôme Rodrigues, a high-profile militant with the 'yellow vest' protest movement who was struck in the right eye when police fired weapons at demonstrators during disturbances in central Paris on Saturday, said his client has been left permanently disabled by a police rubber bullet, in the latest case of dozens of life-changing injuries recorded among demonstrators in recent weeks.  

French riot police to be fitted with body cameras

France — Link

French interior minister Christophe Castaner has announced that French police on crowd control operations are to use body cameras to record the circumstances of their use of weapons, notably rubber bullets, following an increasing toll of serious injuries caused by the bullets and stun grenades during the ongoing 'yellow vest' street protests over falling living standards for low- and middle-income earners.

French riot police deploy assault rifles at 'yellow vest' demonstrations

France — Investigation

A document obtained by Mediapart reveals that the national director of France’s CRS riot police ordered the deployment of Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifles during nationwide demonstrations on January 12th by the ‘yellow vest’ movement. The militarisation of policing tactics during the recurrent demonstrations, in protest over falling living standards for low- and middle-income earners, includes an almost systematic use of rubber bullets and stun grenades that have caused numerous serious injuries. Karl Laske reports on the arsenal employed and the dramatic consequences of the escalating violence.

Paris police officers stand trial in tourist 'gang rape' case

France — Link

Two police officers from the Paris 'anti-gang' squad went on trial on Monday accused of raping a Canadian tourist at their headquarters in the French capital in 2014, after they met her in a nearby Irish pub.