A "humiliation" for which they claim "justice": more than a thousand people walked Sunday in Paris behind the mothers of high school students arrested in December 2018 in Mantes-la-Jolie, Yvelines. The procession left in the early afternoon of the district of Barbès, behind a banner on which was written "For the sake of our children, march of the mothers for the justice and the dignity", and joined the place of the Republic two hours later.
"We want the harm to be recognized"
"I'm outraged against the police violence [on] our children, the humiliation they suffered last year we did not accept, the police violence is still there, it has not calmed down", said Fadila Koulel, mother of one of the 151 young people arrested. "We want the harm done to our children to be recognized, that the violence committed on that day, the fact of having been on their knees on their heads for hours, be recognized," summarized Myriam, another mother. mobilized. "I'm not sure if it had happened elsewhere, it would have happened the same way," she added.
On December 6, 2018, after three days of clashes and degradations on the sidelines of the student protest movement, 151 youths, aged 12 to 21, were put on their knees, head down, hands on their heads, held in check by police officers before being dispatched to police stations. The scene, filmed by a police officer who commented saying "here is a class that is wise," filtered through social networks and caused an uproar.
The investigation led to a dismissal
"They took us for slaves", "it's a memory of anger for me," said a 17-year-old who was arrested that day under cover of anonymity. He was released after a day in police custody with a reminder to the law, as most of those arrested. In the procession, protesters from families, teachers, students and "yellow vests".
Several families and the student union UNL complained of police violence, but the preliminary investigation entrusted to the police force resulted in a dismissal. UNL and the group decided to file a complaint with the constitution of civil parties, to obtain the opening of an instruction.