Besançon: controversy over the images of a policeman hitting a "yellow vest"

A video seen more than 100,000 times on Twitter shows a policeman giving a blow to a demonstrator on the sidelines of the demonstration on Saturday in Franche-Comté.

In one day, images were viewed more than 113,000 times on Twitter. Filmed by an independent journalist, the video of a protester hit by a police officer on the sidelines of the gathering of "yellow vests" on Saturday in Besançon, provoked a lively controversy on social networks, some netizens denouncing a "burr".

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Supported by firefighters. "I filmed this image that is cold in the back," told the social network journalist at the origin of these images. It shows a policeman hitting a "yellow vest" behind his head with a baton. The protester bleeds at the level of the brow bone. According to the videographer, he was then taken care of by the firefighters. "I thought that the young man was going to lose consciousness so much that he was struck with hate and force," the witness added.

I filmed this image that is cold in the back. We see a policeman getting ready, gaining momentum and hitting a pacifist protester on his head when he was behind. The protester was taken care of by the fire brigade https://t.co/0QjqTTgbuS

A tear spray at his feet? Asked by the Republican East , the prefecture of Doubs indicates that the man was "slightly injured". "The images were taken out of context: we were in a dispersion after summons, following the throwing of projectiles", indicates to the daily Nicolas Regny, director of cabinet to the prefecture. "The police were about to arrest a well-identified thug, the man on the way was trying to obstruct the arrest and was trying to pick up a tear spray at his feet."

#manifestation Jets of projectiles towards St Jacques. The prefect of #Doubs had the crowd dispersed. 2 arrests. The prefect strongly condemns the unacceptable violence of the thugs and salutes the action of the police.

Saturday, the prefecture indicated on Twitter that two people were arrested during these operations of dispersal, denouncing the action of "breakers". According to the same source, the police officer gave his version of the facts in a report and no complaint has yet been filed.