Pension reform: Brav-M police officers implicated plead for "fatigue"

Europe 1 with AFP 11:20 am, April 07, 2023

Brav-M police officers registered without their knowledge pleaded "physical and moral fatigue" to explain their threatening and humiliating remarks towards demonstrators arrested in Paris during a wild procession against the pension reform, according to internal reports seen by AFP. The agency had access to the reports of seven officers of the Brigade for the Repression of Violent Motorized Action that intervened on the evening of the events, on the night of 20 to 21 March. These reports were written between March 25, the day after the revelation of the audio by Le Monde and Loopsider, and March 31, a week later. They are addressed to their divisional commander, head of the 21st intervention company from which the officials come.

"Our basic and vital needs have not been met"

Their crew, the "Brav-Mike 4", had taken its duty at 10:30, according to peacekeeper Yann C. It was past 23:00 p.m. when he and his colleagues arrested seven young people, suspected of setting fire to garbage cans. In his report, Brigadier Benoît A., considers that, that evening, "physical and moral fatigue was at its highest threshold, forcing us to act far beyond our capabilities". The officer describes "shifts of 14 hours, even 16 hours" during which "our basic and vital needs were not respected, hydration and food were very complicated," he writes. "Some of us, myself included, had to take medication in order to block our intestinal transit because it was impossible to access and have time to go to the toilet," he adds.

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The peacekeeper Pierre L. believes that "all this could have played in this situation that I did not treat with the usual professionalism". Almost all also say they acted in response to the "provocations" and "arrogance" of one of those arrested, Souleyman, a Chadian student, the main target of the police in the recording. Some also evoke the "very agitated" or even "virulent" behavior of Salome, a young woman also a member of the arrested group.

Sexual assault and racist offences

Souleyman, 23, and Salome, 22, filed a complaint against the police. Souleyman's complaint, which reports that a police officer "grabbed him by sex" and insulted him by telling him "you don't even have balls", also targets sexual assault and racist offences. Since the facts came to light, civil servants have been removed from the public highway and no longer intervene in demonstrations, but have not been suspended. Two investigations, administrative and judicial, were opened and entrusted to the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN).