No, these gendarmes did not remove their helmets in support of the demonstrators

Two members of the gendarmerie, in Paris, Place du Trocadéro, during the demonstration against the "global security" bill, this Saturday.

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• Gendarmes mobilized on the Parisian rally against the proposed law on "global security" on Saturday have they removed their helmets in support of the demonstrators, as suggested by videos published on social networks?

• No, answers the national gendarmerie at 20 Minutes.

  “This is part of a logic of de-escalation of violence.

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• Similar videos had also been misinterpreted during the mobilization of “yellow vests”.

Have mobile gendarmes removed their helmets as a sign of support for the demonstrators on Saturday in Paris, on the sidelines of the rally against the proposed law on "global security"?

This is what several viral videos posted on social networks suggest for two days.

Surrealist scene: Thanks to the words of this demonstrator, the gendarmes took off their helmets?

tonight in #Paris #LoiSecuriteGlobale # 21 November #StopLoiSecuriteGlobale pic.twitter.com/GdPNwVPxg9

- The General 💎 (@LE_GENERAL_FR) November 21, 2020

In a sequence particularly shared on Twitter, a young demonstrator stands in front of the police and opposes her "pacifism" to them.

" You should be ashamed !

She exclaims.

A few seconds later, the mobile gendarmes take off their helmets - unlike the police officers positioned nearby - to the applause and thanks of the demonstrators.

"It was almost starting to believe that you weren't human," one of them exclaims.

But can we really interpret this gesture as a sign of support for the demonstrators and the cause they defend, as some users on social networks believe?

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, the national gendarmerie explains that the soldiers have adapted their posture to the situation.

“When there is tension, the gendarmes are ordered to equip themselves accordingly.

If they removed their equipment, in this case their helmets, it is because the situation did not make it necessary to wear it, explains the communication service of the gendarmerie.

This is part of a logic of de-escalation of violence, and this is what our soldiers learn during their training.

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This isn't the first time this type of scene has been observed - and misinterpreted.

In December 2018, comments accompanying several videos suggested that members of the security forces had removed their equipment in support of the "yellow vests" movement.

The national gendarmerie then underlined to

 that "the fact of removing your helmet does not at all mean that you adhere to a political position.

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