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UPDATE: Thousands protest across France against police violence

Thousands took to the streets across France on Saturday to protest against a new security law that would restrict sharing images of police, days after footage showed police officers beating and racially abusing a music producer.

Published: 28 November 2020 15:10 CET
Updated: 28 November 2020 18:25 CET
UPDATE: Thousands protest across France against police violence
People gather on the Place de La Republique square in central Paris on November 28, 2020 for a demonstration against a new French law on global security. THOMAS COEX / AFP
The demonstrations took place nationwide while in Paris an estimated 46,000 protesters, according to the French interior ministry, marched from the central Place de la République to Bastille despite the coronavirus pandemic.
 
Organisers said some 200,000 people took to the streets.
 
Protesters were calling for Article 24, one of the most controversial elements of the new law, to be withdrawn.
 
Article 24 would criminalise the publication of images of on-duty police officers with the intent of harming their “physical or psychological integrity”. It was passed by the National Assembly last week – although it is awaiting Senate approval – provoking rallies and protests across France.
 
 
 
 
While most of the march took place amid peaceful scenes a number of protesters targeted riot police with projectiles, who responded with tear gas.
 
Several cars and bins were burned along the route by apparent black bloc members who had joined the demonstration.
 

 
Clashes erupted as the protest ended in Place de la Bastille where youths threw projectiles in the direct of riot police who responded with tear gas and dispersal grenades.
 

 
 
 
A protester holds a sign reading 'sickening' in Bordeaux, on November 28th, 2020. Photo: AFP

“Police everywhere, justice nowhere” and “police state” and “smile while you are beaten” were among the slogans brandished by protesters.

The Paris authorities had demanded that organisers limit the rally to a single location, but on Friday evening officials authorised a march from Place de la République to the nearby Place de la Bastille.

Protesters in Paris on November 28, 2020. Philippe LOPEZ / AFP

Anna, 75, who came to France from Argentina 40 years ago, was protesting in Paris. Clad in a red jacket and blue mask, told The Local, “I'm here because I’m against the security law. I was a political refugee and I feel like the (French) government is moving in an authoritarian direction. Police should protect the people not repress them.”

In Paris, chants of Darmanin démission (Darmanin resign) could be heard, referring to the unpopular Minister of Interior Gérald Darmanin, who has vocally backed the security the law.

“It’s Macron’s responsibility,” said Pierre, 68, a supporter of the far-left party candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon. “Macron has only made things worse. He’s the worst President we have had since (Charles) de Gaulle,” he told The Local.

Demonstrators rally near the Place de la Republique in Paris on November 28, 2020. GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP
 
Charlotte and Serge Bensimon, a couple out walking in the centre near République, didn't know about the protest, but told The Local they wouldn't have participated in it anyway.
 
“It’s a difficult topic,” Charlotte said, who moved to France from Sweden 33 years ago. She and her husband had seen the footage of Michel Zecler, the music producer who was beaten up by French police last Saturday, but Charlotte said it was important to remember that not all police were bad.
 
“It’s not that I don’t think it’s bad, it’s just that I don’t know enough about it,” she said. From the sideline, Charlotte and Serge could hear the protesters chanting “everyone hates the police.”
 
“France is not doing well,” Serge said.
 
 
Demonstrators show their cameras in Marseille, southern France, on November 28th, during a protest against the security law. Photo: AFP
 
 “We have felt for a long time to have been the victim of institutionalised racism from the police,” said Mohamed Magassa 35, who works in a reception centre for minors.
 
“But now we feel that this week all of France has woken up,” he said.
 
“The fundamental and basic liberties of our democracy are being attacked — freedom of expression and information,” added Sophie Misiraca, 46, a lawyer.
 
Video footage showing police officers beating and racially abusing music producer Michel Zecler shocked the country when it emerged this week. 
 
President Emmanuel Macron called the incident an “unacceptable attack” on Friday and asked the government to come up with proposals to “fight against discrimination”.
 
The president spoke of images “which shame us”, according to a statement released on social media.
 
An investigation has been opened against the four police involved but commentators say that the images – first published by the Loopsider news site – may never have been made public if the contentious Article 24 of the security legislation was made law.
 
Under the article, offenders could be sentenced to up to a year in jail, and fined €45,000 for sharing images of police officers.
 
The controversy over the law and police violence is developing into another crisis for the government as Macron confronts the pandemic, its economic fallout and a host of problems on the international stage.
 
In a sign that the government could be preparing to backtrack, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced Friday that he would appoint a commission to redraft Article 24.
 
But he was forced into a U-turn even on this proposal after parliament speaker Richard Ferrand – a close Macron ally – accused the premier of trying to usurp the role of parliament.
 

 
The government says the provision is intended to protect officers from online abuse and has been intensely lobbied for by police representatives.
 
But media unions say it could give police a green light to prevent journalists – and social media users – from documenting abuses such as those against Zecler.
 
For critics, it is further evidence the slide to the right of Macron, who came to power in 2017 as a centrist promising liberal reform of France.
 
“The police violence has left Emmanuel Macron facing a political crisis,” said the Le Monde daily.
 
The issue has also pressured Macron's high-flying right-wing Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin – who was promoted to the job this summer despite being targeted by a rape probe – with Le Monde saying tensions were growing between him and the Elysée presidential palace.
 
 

 

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POLICE

READER QUESTION: What powers do police have on the street in Denmark?

Police in Denmark can only stop and search members of the public without cause under special circumstances. What are the rules that apply?

Published: 9 September 2024 17:38 CEST
READER QUESTION: What powers do police have on the street in Denmark?

Copenhagen Police said last week that they had confiscated more than 20 knives in just under a month as a result of around 830 people being checked for weapons in special visitationszoner or “stop-and-search” zones.

Denmark’s laws allow these zones to be established by law authorities for a limited period in response to violent crime. They mean police officers can stop people on the streets or in cars and check if they are carrying weapons without having to give any cause.

READ ALSO: Danish police search 830 people in Copenhagen in less than a month

The Local was contacted by a reader who asked what police “may and may not do” in Denmark.

“For example, can they ask for ID, question you on the street, search you? Can people video in a public place?”, they wrote.

Asking for ID

Police don’t have the right to demand ID, but can ask for your name, address and date of birth, in accordance with paragraph 750 of Denmark’s Retsplejeloven or policing laws. You do not have to give your full CPR (personal registration) number if you have one, although you might be asked for it and see no reason not to give it.

If someone refuses to provide this basic information to the police or provides false information, they can be fined or punished.

It’s worth noting, though, that foreign residents of Denmark who have an opholdskort or residence card are technically required to carry it with them at all times.

READ ALSO: Can you travel in and out of Denmark if you lose your residence card?

The police can question members of the public, but individuals are not required to provide any statements, and no force can be used to compel someone to speak or answer questions. 

Searching

Police can search a person or their vehicle if they have “reasonable suspicion” that the person may have broken the law. They can only conduct a search without any cause if they are in a designated search area (visitationszone) as described above.

In non-visitationszoner, police need reasonable grounds to conduct a search. This can include visible illegal activity, smell of drugs, acting suspiciously or being in a location where drugs or weapons are known to be circulating.

Police may also search your vehicle if they suspect it contains illegal items, such as weapons or drugs, or if the vehicle is involved in a crime.

Detainment

Police in Denmark have the authority to detain individuals for questioning if they suspect the person has committed a crime. Detention without formal charges must be reviewed by a court (known as a grundlovsforhør) within 24 hours.

Police can issue on-the-spot fines for minor offences such as traffic violations and public disturbances, but must follow up with court procedure for serious matters.

All searches conducted by police must be recorded, as must preliminary charges (termed sigtelser), which mean you are under police suspicion. These preliminary charges, which police can give if they have “reasonable grounds” to suspect you have broken the law, enable them to carry out a search as described above.

You are not obliged by law to respond to police questions during these initial searches and proceedings. Once arrested, the police must inform you of your rights, which include the right to remain silent and the right to a lawyer.

Police must record searches and initial charges including the time and circumstances of the interaction, allowing a member of the public to later file a complaint if they believe police did not act correctly.

Video recording in public spaces

Members of the public have the right to film or photograph in public spaces, including police officers, as long as they do not interfere with police work. Denmark does not have laws that prohibit filming law enforcement as long as the filming does not obstruct the officers in their duties.

If police deem that filming obstructs their work or invades the privacy of others, they can ask individuals to stop. Recording police actions from a distance without interference should generally be allowed.

In 2021, Copenhagen Police commented after media reported, based on video evidence, that some officers had threatened members of the public with being arrested if they filmed them.

“Based on the recordings presented to us, we have decided to clarify the rules on this area to all employees. As a starting point, there is no basis for charging a person who is passively filming… a police officer on duty,” Copenhagen Police told newspaper Berlingske.

Complaints

Members of the public can file complaints with the independent Police Complaints Authority (Den Uafhængige Politiklagemyndighed) if they believe the police have misused their power or acted unlawfully. You should provide a case number when filing the complaint, if you have one.

Complaints can also be filed at local police stations.

As a member of the public, you have the right to complain about both the conduct of the police and the basis on which they took their decisions – meaning, for example, how they may have justified carrying out a search. In the later case, the complaint may mean you believe a police officer has broken the law.

The Police Complaints Authority handles the case differently depending on whether it relates to a conduct issue or a potential criminal act.

Are there any further questions relating to this article you’d like us to answer? Let us know in the comments.

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