France
Human rights activists say people angry at Macron’s pension law have the right to protest peacefully
Saturday 25 March 2023 at 12:58 GMT
Europe’s leading human rights watchdog has accused French police of using “excessive force” during protests against a highly controversial pension law.
Dunja Mijatovic, the Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner, said those who wished to assemble peacefully had a right to be protected from “police brutality” and attacks by protesters on officials did not justify a brutal response.
She called on France to respect the right to protest and described the situation as “worrying”.
The warning comes as tensions continue to rise in France, with more demonstrations expected over the weekend and a national day of action by unions planned for next Tuesday. Ongoing unrest, compounded after the government passed the controversial law without a vote, prompted the postponement of King Charles’ planned three-day state visit to France on Sunday.
“Violent incidents have occurred, some of which have targeted the forces of law and order. But sporadic acts of violence by some protesters, or other reprehensible acts committed by others during a protest, cannot justify excessive use of force by state officials,” Mijatovic said in a statement on Friday.
“Even such actions are not enough to deprive peaceful demonstrators of the right to freedom of assembly. It is up to the authorities to allow the actual exercise of these freedoms by protecting peaceful protesters and journalists covering these protests against police brutality and against violent individuals acting within or on the fringes of demonstrations.
“While a state may have the authority to use force, among other things, to restore order, such use should be a last resort and subject to strict adherence to the conditions of necessity and proportionality. The primary obligation of every member state of the Council of Europe is to protect the people under its jurisdiction and their human rights.”
Police have been accused of making arbitrary arrests and using unnecessary force as they dealt with protesters angry at Emmanuel Macron’s pension bill, which raises the retirement age from 62 to 64. Demonstrations across the country have been mostly peaceful but have degenerated into clashes between small groups of protesters and police, and the destruction of public and private buildings and properties.
Hundreds of people were arrested and imprisoned. The majority were subsequently released without charge.
“The release of many people without charge calls into question the necessity and proportionality of the measures taken against them,” Mijatovic added. “Violence, wherever it comes from, can never be used as a means of solving a social and/or political crisis. The violence has to stop. This is a necessary condition for the effective exercise of freedom of expression and assembly and for trust between the population and the police.”
Le Monde reported that in an audio recording it obtained and authenticated, several police officers could be heard threatening youths who were arrested at a pensions protest last Monday. “I can tell you we have broken elbows and faces,” one official reportedly said.
Reporters Without Borders said police attacked several “uniquely identifiable” journalists during recent demonstrations.
On Thursday, 1.1 million people, according to official figures, and 3.5 million according to union figures, took to the streets across France for a ninth day of protests monitored by about 12,000 law and order officers.
The day before, Macron, whose centrist government narrowly escaped a no-confidence vote on Monday, fueled public sentiment in a TV interview in which he said the law would be passed. The draft law is currently being examined by the Constitutional Council; If approved, it is expected to come into effect in September.
Afterward, unions, opposition leaders and critics accused the President of “arrogance and contempt” and vowed to continue the strikes and protests.
On Friday, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced that 11 investigations had been launched into alleged incidents of police violence during the pension protests.
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