Violence broke out on the sidelines of the caregivers' demonstration - ESTELLE RUIZ / HANS LUCAS / AFP

  • A nurse is one of the 31 people arrested on the sidelines of the carers' demonstration.
  • His arrest sparked many reactions.
  • A new gathering is planned for this Wednesday at 4 p.m. in front of the police station in the 7th arrondissement of Paris.

The scene was filmed from different angles. Tuesday afternoon, while the caregivers' demonstration was about to end, a woman dressed in a white blouse was unceremoniously arrested by the police and then kept on the ground by several police officers. This geriatric nurse is still in custody at the beginning of the afternoon this Wednesday at the police station in the 7th arrondissement, in particular for "contempt" and "projectile throwing at the police". Videos show her throwing what appear to be pieces of bitumen towards the police. The investigations are still ongoing, "no decision on the outcome" of this case is taken at this stage, said the prosecution. 20 Minutes takes stock of this matter.

From the finger of honor to the arrest

The different videos, some of which have gone viral on social networks, allow to precisely reconstruct the sequence of this sequence. At 4:50 pm, the journalist from Civicio, who presents himself as a "fiery and independent media", films this woman dressed in a white blouse, Farida, approaching a group of CRS and police officers from the police headquarters in faction near Place des Invalides (3:47 am on this video). She gives them a finger of honor, moves away for a few moments, picks up pieces of bitumen and throws them twice in the direction of the police. At this hour, it has been almost an hour since violence erupted on the fringes of the caregivers' demonstration. In the crowd, we see a few white blouses but also many individuals dressed in black.

⚠️Here is the full, uninterrupted sequence of the video that buzzes over the nurse, some of whom are indignant at the arrest!

This is what happened BEFORE the excerpt which turns in a loop against the fdo: #soignants #GiletsJaunes
Crédit civicio pic.twitter.com/yNSLIYMKwQ

- Lilly (@lillyandthepics) June 16, 2020

Fifty seconds later, on the same video, we see the police carrying out a charge and very quickly four officials brutally arrest him. "It is muscular because they are going to look for it within a violent group", assures a source within the prefecture. He insisted: "At the time of her arrest, this woman was clearly identified as having participated in the violence. The rest of the arrest is filmed by Brut journalist Rémy Buisine. In these images, we can clearly see the caregiver dragged on the ground on her knees for several meters by one of the officials. The journalist claims that she was caught by the hair, the police say they grabbed the strap of her backpack. The scene, brief and a little vague, does not allow us to be categorical on one or the other of these statements.

A woman in a white blouse, pulled by the hair, during an arrest, will end up being evacuated with a bloody face during the demonstration at the Invalides. She will repeatedly claim her Ventoline.

Images from my direct on @brutofficiel (1H45). #careers pic.twitter.com/zdxIbTS4Mu

- Remy Buisine (@RemyBuisine) June 16, 2020

While she is forcibly seated at the foot of a tree, a man, probably a plainclothes policeman, intervenes: "No violence, we are being filmed," he slips. Quickly, a dozen officials surround the caregiver to handcuff her while she claims her ventoline. "We will protect you from gas, we will give it to you," replied one of them after five or six requests. In total, the stop takes just over two minutes. “It is a long time for an arrest, recognizes this same source within the prefecture. But for me there is no visible violence. Perhaps these police officers know how to film and they take all the precautions. Farida, the only carer arrested among the 31 people who were arrested during the Parisian demonstration - 27 were placed in police custody - nonetheless returned to the police station with a wound on the forehead. On the way, as she tries to give her name, a police officer briefly puts her hand on her mouth to prevent her from speaking, before changing her mind.

more pic.twitter.com/UGzWjXjBhF

- Cygnus X - 1 (@ Syjeanpierre1) June 16, 2020

Support rally

Whatever the circumstances, the arrest of a nurse after the Covid crisis particularly shocked public opinion. "This woman is my mother. 50 years old, nurse, she worked for 3 months between 12 and 14 hours a day. Had the Covid. Today, she was demonstrating so that her salary was raised, that her work was recognized. She is asthmatic. She had her blouse. She is 1m55 ”, indignant her daughter on Twitter. And to clarify: "Nothing justifies ANY WAY such an inquiry. Not when you are disarmed, not in a gown, not when you are 1m55, not facing as many robocop. "

This woman is my mother. 50 years old, nurse, she worked for 3 months between 12 and 14 hours a day. Had the covid. Today, she was demonstrating so that her salary was raised, that her work was recognized. She is asthmatic. She had her blouse. She is 1m55. https://t.co/kinCQYJTAn

- Imen Mellaz (@Mellazimen) June 16, 2020

According to Benjamin Amar, spokesman for the CGT and figure of the union in Val-de-Marne, the 50-year-old has been working for almost 17 years in public assistance. "She is currently in geriatrics at the Paul Brousse CHU, she has an exemplary professional career, she worked non-stop during the Covid and now that she is screaming her anger, she is dragged on the ground, abused", deplores the unionist. A new demonstration is planned in front of the police station at 4 p.m. this Wednesday. When contacted, his lawyer did not wish to react.

The head of the police unit, for his part, filed a complaint in the morning for "contempt", "rebellion" and "participation in a gathering to commit violence".

Health

Demonstration for the hospital: "You have to make it feel that there is a whole people, the one who cheered every night, behind these discontented caregivers"

  • Police
  • Nurse
  • Police violence
  • Paris
  • Society