Several hundred police gathered again Tuesday in Bobigny, Mulhouse or Perpignan, a week after announcements by the Minister of the Interior on the imminent abandonment of a controversial arrest technique and the fight against racism among the forces order, according to AFP journalists.
Read also: Even supported, the police remain mobilized
In Bobigny, a hundred uniformed and plainclothes police gathered at 1:00 pm in front of the court, where they observed a minute of silence for " the colleagues injured and died on duty " before intoning the Marseillaise. They then turned on the beacons and sirens of their cars.
“ The accusations of racism touch us in our flesh. The police here, she is black-white-beur, she is multicolored, "said Stéphane Finance, of the Alliance union, who is still claiming to be received by Emmanuel Macron. At the same time, a hundred officials also gathered in Mulhouse, in front of the police station. They symbolically threw off their handcuffs and then lit smoke bombs, in national colors while singing La Marseillaise.
" Our Minister has announced the removal of the bottleneck which will no doubt lead to many more wounded in our ranks and to the suspension of the police in the event of a 'proven suspicion' of racism making all of us sub-citizens not benefiting from any presumption of innocence! “, Regretted Michel Corriaux, union representative Alliance.
Consternation
" This speech gave way to consternation within our institution! After these few words, the police felt abandoned, abandoned and I say it forcefully today: dishonored on the political altar! Yet who was there to face Mohamed Merah? To the Kouachi brothers? Who were present at Bataclan and so many other places? And who will always be there to deal with terrorism! It's the police! ", he said.
According to the same union, " 180 colleagues filed the handcuffs at the beginning of the afternoon before the Perpignan court as a sign of rage, discomfort in the police accentuated by our minister ". “ The president put the church back in the middle of the village, assuring the security forces of its support. But now he must receive us , ”said Philippe Lavenu, Occitanie regional secretary, at the AFP. A rally was also held in Reims.
The announcement of the abandonment of the “ strangulation ” key by Christophe Castaner on June 8, after a weekend of mobilizations against police violence, had angered the unions and agents on the ground, who, since then, organized symbolic protests with deposits of handcuffs.
The director general of the national police (DGPN) however specified Monday, in a note, that this technique "will continue to be implemented " until a new mode of arrest is defined, probably at the start of the school year. September.
Read also: Mélenchon stands up as the defense of neighborhoods against the police