It was to take place this Friday. The trial of journalist Taha Bouhafs for "contempt" and "rebellion" against a police officer, whom he himself accused of violence during his arrest on the sidelines of a demonstration, was postponed to January 8.
The police counsel and the Créteil public prosecutor's office, at the origin of the request for referral, believe that it is preferable to await the conclusions of the investigation by the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) on the facts .
On June 11, 2019, Taha Bouhafs was arrested while he was filming a demonstration of undocumented workers in front of Chronopost in Alfortville (Val-de-Marne) for the online media Over There if I'm there.
Placed in police custody in the process "for contempt and rebellion", the journalist specializing in social movements, who denies the facts, had also filed a complaint for "violence" by a person holding public authority: he accuses a police officer having dislocated her shoulder.
A year ago, I was arrested and struck by Maxime Demaire, agent of the BAC du 94, who tried to prevent me from reporting on the undocumented workers in Alfortville.
I am now broadcasting the interpellation video with complete transparency. pic.twitter.com/hwB7g5p9xm
Friday morning, the journalist behind Alexandre Benalla's video on Place de la Contrescarpe, in Paris, unveiled on Twitter the video of his arrest in which he accused this policeman of "touching" him, "hitting him" or to "hit him".
"Do you think you are a cowboy?" Do you think you are above the law? ", Continues the journalist, before continuing:" You play the scum, huh ". "Is that what you say, that I'm a scum?" […] Be careful what you do, ”warns the policeman.
IGPN “Doubts”
Heard in minutes the same day, the member of the police force accused the journalist and activist of having twice treated him as "cop scum". This precise sentence, which earned him the criminal trial, is not audible in the video posted. His counsel, Me Alimi, announced in the process that he had filed a public forgery complaint.
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At the hearing, the president of the correctional court read an email from the IGPN, who, while acknowledging that the investigation is not over, expressed her “doubts” about “the reality of the contempt” . “It's not the end but it's almost the end. We have no doubt that Taha is released, ”reacted at the end of the hearing Me Alimi.
Taha Bouhafs is also under the status of assisted witness, intermediary between the indictment and the status of simple witness, after having reported on Twitter the presence of Emmanuel Macron at the Bouffes-du-Nord theater last January .
