Police unions angry after Emmanuel Macron's interview

A police patrol.

(Illustration) -

• On Friday, on the online media Brut, the President of the Republic explained that he wanted to face the issue of facial checks and announced the launch in January of a national platform for reporting discrimination.

• Believing that the president is letting go of the police, the two main unions of peacekeepers, Alliance and SGP Police FO Unit, called on Saturday to end identity checks.

“In order to prevent our intervention from being equated with discrimination, let us decide to end the control and not risk disturbing public order.

"In a handrail consulted by

, police officers from Seine-Saint-Denis explain why they did not check the identity of a dozen people who were" in the process of squatting "a building hall in Pantin , in the night from Saturday to Sunday, even if none of them wore a mask.

Not without irony, these agents stress that they did not forget to "greet them" before leaving.

Three days after the interview granted by Emmanuel Macron to Brut, the police did not digest the words of the President of the Republic who raised the issues of facial checks and police violence.

He announced in particular the upcoming launch of a platform for reporting discrimination, managed by the State, the Defender of Rights and associations.

In Vitry (Val-de-Marne), police officers who were leading an awareness-raising operation this Monday morning on the A86, stuck a note on the rear window of their car which summarizes the state of mind of the agents after the Presidential intervention: “Neither violent nor racist, just peacekeepers.

We will continue to protect you if we are given the means to do so.

"

"The president has called our colleagues racists half-heartedly"

"The president throws opprobrium on the whole profession, deplores Stanislas Gaudon, general delegate of the Alliance union.

For our colleagues, it is unbearable.

We got the impression that the state was letting its police go after mistreating them.

The two main peacekeepers' unions, Alliance and Unité SGP, therefore called on agents on Saturday to stop identity checks in protest.

"This action is a cry of anger from our colleagues that the president called, half-heartedly, racist", explains Linda Keddab, national representative of the SGP Police-FO Unit union.

Agents on duty are invited to "get into a waiting position," she says.

“The police provide rescue missions,” adds Stanislas Gaudon.

We respond to emergency calls but we take no initiative, no risk.

"Objective:" To avoid being stigmatized, being accused of carrying out facies checks or of having used disproportionate force.

Beating of a music producer, controversial evacuation of a migrant camp on Place de la République… It must be said that the police are under fire from criticism after several recent cases which have caused much ink to flow.

“We are not in denial, defends Stanislas Gaudon.

When some in our ranks behave that is not ethical, that does not respect the criminal procedure, investigations are opened and we have to wait for their conclusions.

Believe me, in the police there is no impunity.

"

"Colleagues take full advantage"

The anger of the police officers is all the stronger as several dozen of them were injured during the demonstrations organized these last weekends against the comprehensive security law.

“Colleagues take it all in.

There are 20 wounded per day in our ranks and these last two Saturdays, there have been more than 160 wounded colleagues ", regrets the General Delegate of Alliance who denounces" a two-tier justice: one for the police, one for others ".

NO CONTROL!

NO INITIATIVE!

NO PROBLEM !

ACT! @EmmanuelMacron @JeanCASTEX @GDarmanin @Interieur_Gouv @PoliceNationale @prefpolice #Police #policiers #FDO pic.twitter.com/xrsnU9uBvm

- ALLIANCE PN (@alliancepolice) December 5, 2020

Friday, the head of state tried somehow to find the words to support the officials while conceding dysfunctions within the institution.

Even if it means alienating the police unions.

Gérald Darmanin, who is in a complicated political situation, retains their confidence for the moment.

"He has not made a mistake vis-à-vis the police for the moment," observes Linda Kebbab.

"Certainly he does Sarkozy, certainly he does a lot of communication, but he had the merit of saying things", maintains the unionist.

"He did not fault in his expression with regard to the police," also notes the general delegate of the Alliance union.

"Clarify the presidential orientations"

The Minister of the Interior will receive the representatives of the police and the gendarmes on Friday, December 18, to discuss "the structural difficulties experienced by our police," indicates Place Beauvau in a press release.

It will be a question of training, supervision, material conditions, recording of interventions, inspections which control these security forces, the police / population link and the maintenance of order.

Themes pointed out by Gérald Darmanin during his hearing at the National Assembly.

“His speech could not be left with nothing behind,” says Linda Kebbab.

“We cannot on the one hand say that there are problems and on the other hand, do without a real field diagnosis on the different themes he has addressed.

The Home Office must do its own investigations as unions have been doing for years.

"The union of police commissioners wishes, for its part, to take advantage of this meeting to" clarify the presidential guidelines "and" find urgent solutions to the violence that is spreading over our police officers, before a tragedy occurs ".

Politics

Police violence: By using this expression Emmanuel Macron "let go" the police thinks Xavier Bertrand

Society

After Macron's remarks on discrimination, the main police unions call for an end to identity checks

• Society

• Emmanuel Macron

• Police violence

• Union

• Gerald Darmanin

• Police