- On Twitter as on Facebook, a photo has been particularly relayed since March 1.
- It shows a policeman kneeling on a man lying on the sidewalk. The officer wrapped his hands around his neck as if he were strangling him.
- The scene did take place in Saint-Etienne (Loire), Saturday February 29, as confirmed by the photographer behind these photos and the national police at 20 Minutes .
" New technique for arresting demonstrators. "Two-handed strangulation" [in] Saint-Etienne [on] February 29, 2020 "," Yesterday in Saint-Etienne, the police helped a protester to breathe better "…
On Facebook and Twitter, several Internet users have chosen the irony to comment on a photo showing a police intervention: we see a man lying on his back, his head only a few centimeters above the sidewalk while a policeman kneeling on his chest hugs both hands around his neck.
Since it went online on March 1, the photo has in any case provoked strong reactions since it has been shared more than 19,500 times on Facebook.
FAKE OFF
This arrest did take place in Saint-Etienne (Loire), Saturday February 29 in the middle of the afternoon, during act 68 of the "yellow vests". “Usually, I cover the demonstrations a bit, but that day I came across them when I left the Center 2 shopping center while I was taking the tram. The latter climbed the procession before stopping and the doors do not open without us immediately understanding why. Going down, I saw a police car on the rails, ”explains Anaïs, the photographer behind the photo that went viral.
"At the start, the young man's arrest went well, he said nothing, but when he got into the car, he was agitated, he made a small gesture to struggle and it was gone into a spin. The two policemen started shooting him and he found himself on the ground, ”she continues.
Other photos taken at that time, which 20 Minutes was able to consult, clearly show two police officers putting the man on the ground on his back. "Afterwards, he found himself alone with one of the two police officers, who punched him and squeezed his throat with both hands saying" you will see ". It didn't last long, because the people around started to scream. The other police officer returned and tried to calm down his colleague. All the policemen who had left also returned and procrastinated. They asked the small group that had gathered to leave, saying that it was "something happening", "says Anaïs.
Arrested and placed in police custody
"Le Gueuloir", an independent newspaper and local activist, tells us that about 200 people were present at this demonstration, which became tense during the passage near Center 2, which the police sought to protect. "The police were not in large numbers, but some were very virulent," the media also told us.
Contacted by 20 Minutes , the Information and Communication Service of the National Police (Sicop) indicates that it "cannot comment on the technique of arresting on the basis of a fixed image". However, he confirms that the man in question was arrested "at 4.40 pm during the demonstration of" yellow vests "for contempt and rebellion, facts which he recognized, and which brought him into police custody" which was still underway this Monday March 2nd. "His outrage was characterized by his spitting and insults on the police as they passed," adds Sicop.
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