Police

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.

Rival campaigns set up for French police and detained ex-boxer

France — Link

Online campaigns began after former professional boxer handed himself in to police after he was filmed punching officers during protest in Paris.

French government raises stakes on school security after pupil points 'gun' at teacher

France

A recent video showing a pupil pointing a pistol – later discovered to be fake - at his teacher in a school in France went viral. The government called an urgent meeting of senior ministers to work out a plan of action to tackle violence in France's schools, amid talk that the police might be asked to patrol in some establishments. Detailed policies are expected to be announced soon. But as Manuel Jardinaud and Faïza Zerouala report, this tough rhetoric, which recalls the days of Nicolas Sarkozy's presidency, has not gone down well with many teachers.

France considers putting police officers in classrooms

France — Link

New plans are set to be announced by interior minister Christophe Castaner following a string of violent incidents in country's classrooms.

French police accused of harassing aid workers at Calais

France — Link

Charities distributing food to homeless migrants in the French port allege 600 acts of intimidation by officers, including teargassing.

Macron aide scandal: illegally copied CCTV footage given to Élysée ended up on Twitter

France — Investigation

The unfolding scandal prompted by videos of the vicious assault of a man during May Day disturbances by President Emmanuel Macron’s private security aide Alexandre Benalla now includes the revelation that confidential police CCTV footage of the events in a Paris square were published on Twitter by supporters of Macron’s party in an attempt to denigrate Benalla’s victim. Screenshots obtained by Mediapart show the images, apparently from a CD copy of the footage given to Benalla by police officers, and which Benalla said he immediately handed to the Élysée Palace, were posted on social media just after Benalla’s thuggish behaviour was revealed by French daily Le Monde – before being removed just hours later.Karl Laske, Pascale Pascariello and Lénaïg Bredoux report.

French officer declares Nantes' fatal shooting 'accidental'

France — Link

Officer who shot man, 22, while trying to arrest him, sparking riots, initially said it was in self-defence but has now given new version of events.

Clashes erupt in western France after fatal police shooting

France — Link

Cars were burned and a shopping centre partly set alight in Nantes after a 22-year-old man was shot dead by an officer during a police check.

Oxfam reports French border police 'abuse' of child migrants

France — Link

A report published by NGO Oxfam says its interviews with migrant children trying to cross from Italy to France on the Riviera border found complaints of being 'physically and verbally abused, and detained overnight in cells without food, water or blankets and with no access to an official guardian', and also claims that some children had the soles of their shoes cut off before being sent back to Italy.

Sixteen arrested over New Year's Eve mob attack on police

France — Link

French police on Tuesday arrested 16 people, including two women,  over their suspected involvement in an attack on two officers attempting to disperse an unauthorised wharehouse party in a Paris suburb last December 31st, when video published on social media showed a policewoman being kicked by a mob after she fell to the ground.