Thousands of police gathered in front of the National Assembly in Paris on Wednesday to denounce the lack of severity of the judicial institution.

"The problem of the police is justice", chanted Fabien Vanhemelryck, general secretary of the Alliance union. 

REPORTAGE

The mobilization of the profession was strong, Wednesday, in front of the National Assembly.

More than 35,000 people answered the call of the police unions, according to the organizers.

Two weeks after the murder of Brigadier Eric Masson, they notably called for heavier sentences for the attackers of members of the police.

But also denounced a bad application of the sentences by the Justice. 

"People are going out quickly"

"The problem of the police is Justice", proclaimed to the ovation of the crowd Fabien Vanhemelryck, the boss of the Alliance union.

And in the ranks of the police gathered, we especially regretted the lack of severity of the judicial institution.

"When we see the penalties not really applied ... People leave quickly, that's what shocks us", explains one of them to Europe 1. 

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"We are talking about floor sentences ... But that we are already applying what we have," claims another.

"For me that's enough, but it has to be done."

"The police are the last ramparts of peace"

Under the flags of the police unions, some citizens, like Alice, came to support the police.

"These are the last ramparts of peace, there are enough of this permanent guerrilla warfare," she said indignantly.

"There are enough of these people putting their lives on the line for a pittance. It's time our politicians did something."

Elected officials from all sides joined the demonstration, including LR parliamentarians as well as the ecologist Yannick Jadot or the leader of the Socialist Party Olivier Faure.

But their presence was not to the taste of all the police.

"It would be better if they stayed away," warns an annoyed official.

Only the rebellious France of Jean-Luc Mélenchon had boycotted the rally. 

Dupond-Moretti calls not to "oppose justice and the police"

Very criticized by the opposition, the arrival of Gérald Darmanin went smoothly, the Minister of the Interior leaving the rally before the union speeches.

In the viewfinder of the unions, the Minister of Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti called on him not to "oppose justice and the police". Police officers and magistrates are in the same boat ", he insisted in the Assembly during the examination of the bill for the" confidence "in the judicial institution." I do not want to argue "but" the red line not to be crossed, it is the respect that we owe to institutions ", he pleaded, tackling the right:" You have to respect the police, and when you fired 12,000 police officers, you do not have not respected. Justice must be respected in this country. "