Penalties of fines were required against five police officers tried on Friday in Évreux for racist remarks against a former black colleague in a WhatsApp discussion group in 2019. These police officers appeared before the court of police of Évreux for "
acts of non-public insults of a racist nature
".
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The case began after the complaint in Rouen, in December 2019, of a black police officer assigned to the Administrative and Legal Assistance Unit against six of his colleagues.
He had discovered that he was the target of racist comments on WhatsApp.
A decision on November 5
On voicemail, the police had repeatedly called him a "
nigger
" doing "
anything because he is black
".
Civil parties, SOS Racisme and the MRAP, each asked for a symbolic euro.
The decision was put under advisement on November 5.
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In court, the five defendants acknowledged the words attributed to them. "
There are communities that do not like what I represent, the white male, and I apply a form of reciprocity
", justified one of the defendants considered "
the ideologist
" by the prosecution. “
I'm a big teddy bear and a little reactive on certain things. I regret having taken the (police) competition,
”he said. "
Perhaps in the police there is an ambient racism
", questioned another defendant.
The prosecutor requested up to 1,000 euros firm in fines.
Referring to an "
atypical procedure before a police court
" with "
particularly foul racist remarks
", the prosecution recalled that "
the police officer must be the guarantor of the values of the rule of law, in particular the equality of citizens
" , stressing that there was "
no question of putting the police on trial
."
"We are not allowed to have" these ideas
"
We do not have the right to have this kind of ideas when we are at the service of our nation and its values
", reminded Me Marc François for SOS Racisme.
"
Words hurt, sometimes they kill, in principle you must enter the process of conviction
", pleaded the lawyer.
"
A good third of these exchanges are unbearable to read
", underlined Yaël Godefroy, lawyer of the plaintiff who "
wants to open a reflection on racism in the police force and more generally in the society
".
Me Marie-Perrine Philippe, lawyer for the main defendant, argued that his client "
was not alone
", that he "
is one of those men caught up in the movement, with ideas that may have gone beyond their deep thoughts
”and“
that he regret all the words he said
”.
