Paris (AFP)
A journalist from France Televisions was taken into police custody while filming arrests at the end of a demonstration against the proposed "global security" law on Tuesday evening, deplores the group which "condemns this restriction on the rights of hurry".
"Identified by his press card, he was nevertheless arrested and released today at the very beginning of the afternoon. No other reason for police custody and the case was closed without further action", specifies the group audiovisual in a press release Wednesday.
"The Direction of France Televisions condemns this restriction of the rights of the press and the obstruction to the good exercise of the right to inform" and "reserves the possibility of all useful consequences".
The journalist worked for France 3 Paris-Ile-de-France and filmed with his cell phone.
He spent more than 12 hours in police custody and received a reminder of the law.
The management of France 3 Paris Île-de-France "strongly condemns this abusive and arbitrary arrest of a journalist in the exercise of his work".
Hundreds of people gathered on Tuesday afternoon near the National Assembly at the call in particular of journalists' unions and human rights associations to protest against the proposed "comprehensive security" law, which according to them would prevent journalists and citizens from filming the police during the demonstrations.
The rally targets article 24 of this bill brought by LREM and its ally Agir, the examination of which began on Tuesday.
"Several reporters, working for different media, were also molested or arrested during this demonstration," lamented the National Union of Journalists (SNJ) in a statement, while the police headquarters reported 33 arrests after clashes at the end of the gathering.
The union calls for a new rally on Saturday afternoon, Place du Trocadéro in Paris and "in many other cities".
"The serious incidents of November 17 must all, journalists, press leaders and citizens, remind us that the freedom to inform is threatened," regretted in another statement the SNJ of France Televisions.
Journalists "must get closer to the authorities" before the events they want to cover in order to be able to "report" and "do (their) work," Gérald Darmanin said on Wednesday at a press conference devoted to the activity of the police.
© 2020 AFP