Human Chain Protests Police Violence and Racism as France Eases Lockdown

Monday, May 11, marking the beginning of the deconfinement, was chosen by civil society organizations and a fringe of the political class to denounce, raise awareness and fight against the rise of racism, police violence and social injustices that were recorded during the lockdown imposed by the French authorities to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Amnesty International, in a report, mentioned recent cases of use of force by the police as part of the lockdown. Blows to the ground, dangerous plaquages, inappropriate use of the taser... Police checks are too heavy-handed. In late March, Human Rights Watch, the League of Human Rights and other associations had alerted the Ministry of the Interior about "abusive" police checks and "violence" to enforce the lockdown, recalls AFP. These associations had called on the authorities to be vigilant.

In a video posted on March 23, a week after the start of the lockdown, Yassim, 30, a resident of Les Ulis (Essonne), recounts: "They smashed my head against the wall twice and they gave me a flashball butt to the head." These cases of police violence are legion and recall the death of Fofana in 2018, or that of Adama Traoré in 2016...

Some victims have filed complaints for acts of violence by a person holding public authority. According to a police source, the General Inspectorate of the National Police has recorded five complaints since the beginning of the lockdown.