An Amnesty International flag during a demonstration at Place de la République in Paris.

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GUILLEMETTE VILLEMIN / AFP

Six NGOs, including Amnesty International, announced on Wednesday the launch, for the first time in France, of a group action against the state in order to put an end to the "discriminatory identity checks" by the police whose existence was recognized in December by Emmanuel Macron.

At the end of a four-month prior notice, the six organizations explain that they will take legal action if the government does not provide "satisfactory answers" by then, in accordance with the procedure provided for by law. of modernization of the justice of the XXIst century voted in 2016.

"Organizations are taking this unprecedented initiative to put an end to discriminatory identity checks, a stigmatizing, humiliating and degrading practice for all those who are victims in France," they write in a press release.

"Today when you have a skin color that is not white, you are much more controlled (..) We are identified as a problem factor and it is unbearable", recognized Emmanuel Macron at the beginning of December during 'an interview with the online media Brut.

The objective: to modify the code of criminal procedure

The six NGOs involved in the procedure are Amnesty International France, Human Rights Watch, Open Society Justice Initiative, the Community House for Solidarity Development (MCDS), Pazapas and Réseau - Égalité, Antidiscrimination, Justice - interdisciplinaire (REAJI).

The formal notice specifically targets Prime Minister Jean Castex, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin and Keeper of the Seals Eric Dupond-Moretti, "responsible for the design and exercise of police action," said the Minister of Justice. collective.

The NGOs are notably asking for a modification of the code of criminal procedure to "explicitly prohibit discrimination in identity checks", the "creation of an effective and independent complaint mechanism" or even "the provision of any person checked for 'proof of control', on the model of the receipt.

In November 2016, the Court of Cassation had definitively condemned the State for “facies” identity checks.

Several group actions have already been carried out in the past but they targeted private companies such as the pharmaceutical giant Sanofi, the engine manufacturer Safran or the bank Caisse d'Epargne Île-de-France.

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  • Amnesty international

  • Racism

  • Class action

  • Police

  • Discrimination

  • Society