Several hundred police gathered on Tuesday in front of the courts in different cities in France.

The unions intended to protest against the acquittal on appeal, on the night of Saturday to Sunday, of eight of the 13 young people accused of attacking and burning police officers in Viry-Châtillon, in Essonne, in 2016.

Several hundred police gathered on Tuesday in front of the courts of various cities in France at the appeal of police unions outraged by the verdict of the trial of the attack on police officers in Viry-Châtillon this weekend.

In Paris, 200 to 300 civil servants gathered in peace at 12:30 p.m., waving the flags of the main peacekeepers 'unions, Alliance, SGP Police Unit, Unsa Police and the Synergie officers' union, noted journalists from the 'AFP.

"Your security has a price. We are waiting for protection and recognition" or "Police attacked, citizens in danger", one could read on the banners.

"We trivialize assaults"

By this call for rallies throughout France, the unions intended to protest against the acquittal on appeal, on the night of Saturday to Sunday, of eight of the 13 young people accused of having attacked and burned police officers in Viry-Châtillon, in the 'Essonne, in 2016. The Paris Assize Court for minors sentenced the other five to terms ranging from 6 to 18 years' imprisonment.

The accused faced life imprisonment.

This verdict, less severe than at first instance, provoked the ire of the unions. 

"We are here to express our incomprehension in the face of the verdict," Olivier Hourcau, deputy secretary general of Alliance, organizer of the Paris rally, told AFP.

"It is a very bad signal sent to the police. We trivialize attacks against them." 

"We are fed up": police officers demonstrate after the verdict of the Viry-Châtillon attacks pic.twitter.com/Sx3OAdmI56

- BFMTV (@BFMTV) April 20, 2021

Gatherings in several cities 

Gatherings of several dozen police officers also took place in other towns.

In Montpellier, they were stationed in front of the judicial court, carrying blue white red stickers "Police officers - Paid to serve, not to die" and supported by some elected RNs, including the mayor of Beaucaire, in the Gard, Julien Sanchez.

Other gatherings also took place in Lille, Rennes, Toulouse or Orléans.

But also in Lyon, where there were more than a hundred before the court.

"This verdict was a trigger, in a complicated context where violence against the police is almost daily. With such decisions, it is increasingly difficult to find meaning in our profession" a explained Pierre Tholly, union secretary in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes of the Alliance union.

In the morning, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin announced on RTL that he would receive the police officers injured in 2016 on Saturday but argued that he "does not support the demonstrations in front of the institutions".