A brutal arrest during a peaceful march against police violence has again put French law and order under the spotlight, as the government, fearing further unrest, banned fireworks outside authorised displays during the Bastille Day holiday weekend.
Amid continuing tensions after rioting sparked by last month’s fatal shooting of a teenager, police faced further accusations of brutality on Sunday when video emerged of the arrest of the brother of a black man who died in custody seven years ago.
Youssouf Traoré, 29, was forcefully tackled to the ground and held face-down by officers from a controversial rapid reaction force, BRAV-M, at an unauthorised march on Saturday in memory of his brother Adama, who died aged 24 in 2016.
The arrest at the march, which brought an estimated 2,000 protesters together in central Paris, and other images of demonstrators being violently pushed by officers were filmed by several witnesses and spread rapidly on social media.
Led by his sister, Assa Traoré, the family allege that Adama – who has been called “the French George Floyd” – was pinned to the ground by police and died of asphyxiation. No charges have been brought in the case.
Paris police forbade the annual march – which had been banned from its original route outside the capital – saying it was “likely to attract radical elements seeking to commit acts of violence” and that authorities had not had enough time to prepare.
But Assa called for a peaceful gathering at Paris’s Place de la République, telling the crowd: “France cannot give moral lessons; its police is racist, its police is violent.”
Youssouf’s lawyer, Yassine Bouzrou, told Le Monde his client had suffered injuries to his skull, eye, nose, stomach and back and had been hospitalised. The officers had used “disproportionate and illegitimate” force and he had filed a formal complaint, he said.
Paris police said Youssouf was detained for “violence against a person of public authority”. The Paris prosecutor’s office said on Sunday the charges had been lifted pending his treatment in hospital, but could be reinstated once he is discharged.
Marche pour #Adama, la brav M charge et interpelle des manifestants.#paris pic.twitter.com/kZCmJbA7bx
— Amar Taoualit (@TaoualitAmar) July 8, 2023
Almost 100 associations, unions and leftwing parties including the Greens and Unbowed France had urged demonstrators across France to demand “a profound reform of the police, its intervention techniques and its weapons”.
At least two journalists said they, too, were mishandled by the police during the Paris march. Leftwing politicians – several of whom attended the demonstration – on Sunday denounced the brutality on display.
“A violent arrest of Youssouf Traoré – unacceptable at the end of a peaceful demonstration,” tweeted the Communist party leader, Fabien Roussel. “Truly, nothing is being done to calm the situation down.”
Tensions in France have been simmering since a police officer shot dead Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old with Algerian roots, during a traffic stop on 27 June in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, prompting six days of widespread rioting from Lille to Marseille.
Fearing further unrest, the government on Sunday outlawed the “sale, possession, transport and use of pyrotechnical articles and fireworks” until after 15 July “to prevent the risk of serious disturbances to public order” during the 14 July festivities.
Firework rockets, along with stones and bottles, were heavily used against police in the wake of Merzouk’s shooting, which inflamed longstanding resentment among poor, racially mixed, urban communities in France over repeated incidents of police violence and allegations of systemic racism.
Horizontally fired firework rockets, which can reach velocities of up to 100kph, have become a favoured weapon of rioters due to their low cost and availability. Suppliers have reportedly been offering delivery within minutes on TikTok and other platforms.
“Local officials I have met are concerned about the possibility of more incidents during the national holiday,” the prime minister, Élisabeth Borne, told Le Parisien, promising “massive means to protect the French” over the 14 July weekend.
The government spokesperson, Olivier Véran, said the authorities would ensure that peace and security prevailed and that it was “out of the question to imagine our annual festivities should be expected to give way to a few thousand rioters in our cities”.
More than 3,700 people, including at least 1,160 minors, were arrested in the riots, during which 5,000 cars were burned, 11,000 fires lit, 2,000 shops looted and hundreds of public buildings trashed, including bus depots, schools and community centres.
The government aimed to push through emergency legislation to repair damaged buildings before the summer parliamentary recess, Borne said, and would also release funds to ensure swift compensation for the owners of cars that had been set alight.
Merzouk, who was known to police for refusing to obey previous traffic stops, was pulled over for a series of traffic violations, including driving illegally. The 38-year-old officer who fired has been charged with voluntary homicide and is in provisional detention.
The French government has repeatedly denied allegations of police violence and racism by human rights groups and national and international NGOs. On Saturday, the foreign ministry said the “fight against racism and all forms of discrimination” was a priority.
It noted that at least 800 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters had been injured during the recent riots and accused the committee of a “lack of solidarity and compassion”.
