Convicted Officer Advances in Police Ranks Despite Racial Slur Incident

Despite his conviction, which is still subject to an appeal scheduled for September, the agent is likely to undergo a one and a half year training to become a lieutenant. Pierre C.’s conviction stems from an incident that occurred during an arrest on April 26, 2020.

On the day of the incident, police officers apprehended an Egyptian national suspected of theft of equipment on a construction site in Île Saint-Denis. The man had tried to flee by jumping into the Seine, according to the statements of the law enforcement officers. As the police were pulling the individual out of the water, Pierre C. allegedly shouted: "A nigger can’t swim!", remarks that had been filmed and widely shared on social media.

The case provoked a strong reaction, reviving past wounds. The use of the term "nigger", laden with a heavy historical past, was particularly criticized. Loïc Pageot, the Bobigny prosecutor, referred to the tragic incident of October 17, 1961 in Paris where several Algerian protesters had been thrown into the Seine. Despite the controversy, the Directorate General of the National Police (DGPN) stated that Pierre C. had already been administratively sanctioned, with a firm five-day exclusion.