Pensions: Council of Europe alarmed by "excessive use of force" in France

Europe 1 with AFP 18:47 p.m., March 24, 2023

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic, expressed alarm on Friday at the "excessive use of force" against protesters against the pension reform, calling on the France to respect the right to demonstrate. "Violent incidents have taken place, some of which have targeted law enforcement agencies," the Commissioner said in a statement. "But sporadic acts of violence by some protesters or other wrongdoing by others during a demonstration cannot justify the excessive use of force by state agents.

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Nor are these acts sufficient to deprive peaceful protesters of the enjoyment of the right to freedom of assembly," she continued. "It is up to the authorities to allow the effective exercise of these freedoms, by protecting peaceful demonstrators and journalists covering these demonstrations from police violence and against violent individuals acting in or on the sidelines of the processions," she insisted.

Numerous denunciations of violence

In recent days, lawyers' unions, magistrates' unions and left-wing politicians have denounced police violence during demonstrations against the pension reform. The NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Friday called on Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin to "put an end to police violence against journalists". Dunja Mijatovic also expressed concern about the arrest and detention of some demonstrators and people in the vicinity of the demonstrations, questioning "the necessity and proportionality of the measures to which they have been subjected".

"The failure to declare a demonstration is not sufficient in itself to justify an infringement of the demonstrators' right to freedom of peaceful assembly, nor a criminal sanction imposed on participants in such a demonstration," she said, referring to Darmanin's remarks.

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The minister had said on Tuesday that participation in an "undeclared demonstration" is an "offense" that "merits" an "arrest". Gérald Darmanin also announced Friday the opening of 11 judicial investigations into alleged police violence for a week as part of the mobilization against the pension reform.