French police investigated over abusive comments to protesters

Officers blame exhaustion while tackling protests against pension reforms for their behaviour

French police face accusations of brutality during pension protests. Bloomberg

French police officers from the Motorised Brigades for the Repression of Violent Action (BRAV-M) have been recorded threatening and making abusive comments towards arrested protesters, according to an internal report.

The incident took place on March 20, during a protest against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reforms.

The audio recording was shared by French media on March 24, prompting an investigation into the officers' conduct.

In the report, members of the Paris motorbike police unit stated that they were “mentally exhausted” due to working long shifts during the protests.

One officer claimed that he and his team had been on patrol since 10am and that the recording was made after 11pm. Another officer described shifts of up to 16 hours and said that eating and drinking were complicated.

The recording captures the officers making sexually explicit, sexist and racist comments towards a 23-year-old Chadian student who had been arrested.

The officers deny allegations of physical assault, but the recording suggests otherwise.

In response to the incident, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said that he was “extremely shocked by the comments”.

The officers have been taken off duty, but not suspended. The inquiries are continuing.

This incident has fuelled accusations of police brutality during the pension protests, with rights groups accusing French police of disproportionate use of force.

The French interior ministry has denied these accusations, stating that they have been responding to “far-left” radicals intent on damaging public property.

The incident has also prompted activists and left-wing lawmakers to call for the dissolution of the BRAV-M. However, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin rejected this request, stating that the unit plays a crucial role in maintaining public order.

Lawyer Arie Alimi, who is representing the Chadian student and another female protester, said that fatigue cannot exonerate someone of criminal liability, but it could invoke the criminal responsibility of the police chief himself in view of the intensity of the operations he ordered.

The incident is a stark reminder of the tensions between French police and protesters during the pension reform demonstrations.