The Rouen administrative court on Tuesday canceled the dismissal of a police officer and confirmed that of two others in a case of racist remarks targeting a black colleague, according to a copy of the decision received Wednesday.

"His behavior, faulty as it was, could not, without disproportion, justify the dismissal (...), the most severe sanction" provided by law, say the judges concerning the first.

"Isolated" facts

“It emerges from the documents in the file that between November and December 2019”, this man “in a thread of a discussion, via the WhatsApp application, within a group made up of several colleagues from the aid unit and legal aid from the Rouen-Elbeuf police and from outside, made discriminatory remarks, ”admits the court. "However", the facts with which he is accused "are isolated, the professional qualities of the applicant, in office since May 1, 2005, have so far been recognized", he adds.

On the other hand, the court rejected similar requests from two other police officers in this case, one in office since 2003, the other since 2006. In their cases, "it appears from the documents in the file that between November and December 2019" in this WhatsApp discussion thread, these two men "on several occasions, especially during the service, made racist, misogynistic, anti-Semitic and discriminatory remarks" and had "no moderating or dissuasive behavior of the comments of the same nature issued by the other members of the group ”, according to the judges.

A complaint in 2019

The officials having failed "in the duty of exemplarity, honor and dignity which" incumbent upon them as a police officer, "the Ministry of the Interior did not err" by dismissing them, they add.

The victim had lodged a complaint at the end of 2019 against these remarks which treated her as a "negro" doing "anything because he's a black".

On September 3, during the trial before the police court of Évreux of five police officers in this case, the prosecution requested a fine of 150 to 1,000 euros.

The decision is expected on November 5.

The fine of 150 euros had been requested against the police officer whose dismissal was annulled by the administrative court.

One thousand euros had been against one of the police officers whose request for reinstatement was rejected.

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  • Seine-Maritime

  • Discrimination

  • Racism

  • Police officer

  • Rouen

  • Police

  • Justice