Racism and violence: measures announced to improve police ethics - France 24

Paris (AFP)

"Zero tolerance", reinforced controls and ban on the so-called "strangulation" method of arrest: after several demonstrations against racism and police violence echoed in the United States, Christophe Castaner announced on Monday measures to improve the ethics of the police.

President Emmanuel Macron, who has so far not spoken on the death of George Floyd in the United States, behind a worldwide protest movement, had asked the government to "speed up" in this matter .

"8 minutes 46 seconds. This is the length of time George Floyd was on the ground, a policeman's knee against his neck. It was the length of the agony, the shame, the hatred. C "is the time it took to asphyxiate the honor," said the interior minister at a press conference.

Since then, "everywhere, women and men, often young, have come together to utter a loud cry against racism, against hatred, against discrimination," he added.

"This cry, I hear it," said the minister on the eve of a new day of mobilization at the time of his funeral in Houston (Texas), recalling, however, that "France is not the United States".

"No racist can wear the police or gendarme uniform with dignity (...) Also, I asked that a suspension be systematically considered for each proven suspicion of racist acts or words," said Christophe Castaner.

He also announced the abandonment of the controversial police method of "grabbing by the neck, known as strangulation".

"It will no longer be taught in the police and gendarmerie schools. It is a method which entailed dangers," added the minister.

"In addition, if a police officer or a gendarme must keep someone on the ground during his arrest, he will now be prohibited from leaning on his neck or neck," he said.

- "Doubtful" unions -

A mission had been created following the death of Cédric Chouviat in January during his arrest in Paris. "The French police are not the American police," said Christophe Castaner, "but legitimate questions arose."

He also announced an "in-depth inspection of the Ministry of the Interior" reform - the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN), his counterpart to the gendarmerie (IGGN) and the General Inspectorate of Administration (IGA) ) - for "more independence".

These announcements have left the police unions "skeptical" and in particular the ban on the "strangulation technique", "the only technique that makes it possible to control an individual whose weight is greater", according to Frédéric Lagache of the Alliance union, who fears of being "reduced to street fighting or the use of taser".

Yves Lefebvre of the Union-SGP-Police union has "the impression that we use (the police) as a variable in the face of public opinion".

"There are political announcements and the reality on the ground. It seems that we live in a world of bisounours where everyone is nice except the police who are mean," mocks his counterpart at Unsa-Police Philippe Capon. .

On the political side, Bruno Retailleau, president of the senators LR, judged on twitter that "by inventing the concept of + proven suspicion of racism +, Christophe Castaner creates in fact a presumption of guilt for the police officers. It is a cowardice semantic and policy on the part of the Minister of the Interior who should defend his troops! ".

The president of the National Rally Marine Le Pen also estimated on Twitter that "police and gendarmes can be suspended on the basis of + suspicion + of + racism +: Castaner puts them at the mercy of the worst defamations. This is the era of suspicion and the presumption of guilt for our police! This has nothing to do with the law! ".

"Marine Le Pen tells anything as usual," said Secretary of State for the Interior Laurent Nuñez on BFMTV. "When we decide to apply an administrative suspension there is a procedure (...), the suspension is decided on specific facts, there is no suspicion", he assured.

Since the start of the "yellow vests" movement in November 2018 and its procession of injured demonstrators, police violence has been a thorn in the side of the government which systematically refuses to use this term.

And the death of George Floyd in the United States has put this burning issue back at the heart of the debate in France.

© 2020 AFP