France: demonstrations against the "global security" law throughout the country
Audio 01:18
Demonstration against the global security law in Paris.
REUTERS - GONZALO FUENTES
Text by: RFI Follow
5 mins
This Saturday, January 16, was a new day of mobilization in France against the proposed comprehensive security law.
More than 80 rallies were held in the country, against this text which provides - among other things - for the criminalization of the dissemination of images of the police or the use of drones to monitor demonstrations.
Report in the Parisian procession.
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The snow and the large police force did not prevent the many demonstrators from chanting the slogans.
The target: the
comprehensive security bill
(LSG).
In the crowd, a group from the NGO Amnesty International:
“We defend the right to demonstrate, to speak out about demonstrations.
We are against the idea that we can no longer talk about police violence as we wish and we believe that it is part of our freedom of expression to be able to disseminate information on this subject ”.
►Also read: Article 24 of the “global security” law: is the crisis really over?
In the capital, the procession of 6,500 people according to the police, 15,000 according to the organizers, marched in the direction of the Place de la Bastille.
In question, the intention carried by the text to penalize the distribution of images of police forces.
His most famous provision, but not the only one to arouse opposition from the demonstrators: “
There is still widespread surveillance by drones.
There is also the emergence of private security groups in public surveillance.
We have to be very vigilant on this
”.
Called by several organizations
The gathering took place at the call of a coordination of several associations, NGOs, companies and unions of journalists.
Emmanuel Poupart is the first secretary general of the National Union of Journalists (SNJ): “
The separatism bill is coming, there are also three decrees which organize a listing of trade unionists, etc.
There is also the national plan of maintaining order which we do not want
”.
These parades brought together 34,000 people in France according to the police, and 200,000 according to the organizers, according to the Ministry of the Interior and the SNJ-CGT union.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin also reported on Twitter “
75 people arrested including 24 in Paris
” and “1
2 wounded police and gendarmes
”.
Our police and our gendarmes were once again there to supervise the demonstrations and systematically question those who had come to break.
75 people arrested including 24 in Paris.
Full support for the 12 injured police and gendarmes.
- Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) January 16, 2021
The next legislative step is the separatism bill.
The first reading will take place in two weeks, on February 1 at the National Assembly.
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