French police officers protest against accusations of racism and restrictive detention measures.

Adriana Moysés, from RFI - French police officers protested across the country on Friday (12) against the restriction on the use of the chokehold technique, popularly known as the "mata-leão," in operations to detain suspects. The measure was announced earlier in the week by Interior Minister Christophe Castaner as part of a "zero tolerance" plan against police violence and racism in the conduct of officers.

In a motorcade, about 50 police officers drove down the Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris towards the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior, where they demanded Castaner's resignation. The demonstrations, called by several unions of patrol officers and delegates, were joined by police officers in several cities across the country. French police officers feel "betrayed" by the minister, who stated there are "confirmed suspicions of racism" within the police force. They vehemently reject these accusations and demand the immediate dismissal of Castaner, one of President Emmanuel Macron's closest collaborators.

Since Thursday night (11), civil police and intervention brigades have been holding symbolic vigils in front of police stations, throwing handcuffs on the ground. They threaten to suspend detention operations if they cannot use the strangulation technique, taught in police academies to immobilize suspects who resist arrest. 

French police are furious with the government's reaction to the wave of outrage that has also swept France following the murder of George Floyd in the United States.

In a statement last Monday, the Interior Minister declared "zero tolerance" for racism within the police force. Indeed, racist police groups were discovered using social media to insult Black and Arab people. But, according to the officers who took to the streets this Friday, this is a minority. The racism present in the French police, they say, is as representative as that existing in society. The police do not tolerate insinuations that the French police are dominated by racist conduct.

Persistent discrimination

In the protests following Floyd's death, human rights groups denounced the systematic discrimination suffered by residents of French suburbs. Young Black people or those of Arab descent, boys and girls, complained that they are immediately associated with delinquency, mistaken for drug dealers, simply because of their skin color or because they do not have a European appearance. The protesters also denounced a series of unexplained deaths during police operations.

French police officers acknowledge mistakes and admit they can improve. However, they state that losing, overnight, the ability to use the technique most taught in police academies to immobilize a suspect puts their lives at risk when facing criminals.

Many lawyers and human rights advocates are calling for the abolition of systematic, and sometimes brutal, identity checks. Public security experts advocate for a cultural shift in French police academies. But today, for example, there were several female police officers at the protests. They said that when faced with a suspect who is physically much larger than themselves, they have few options for subduing the person. The French government wants to equip all police officers with the Taser, a low-frequency electroshock weapon. But, for now, only 7% of officers have been trained to use this equipment.

Miscegenation and entrenched violence

The Interior Minister has spent the last 48 hours in meetings with police leaders to negotiate a way out of the crisis. The marathon of meetings will continue until Saturday (13), when new demonstrations to denounce racism and police violence are planned in Paris. The debate in the country is intense. This week, the newspaper Libération said that France commits many injustices, but disagreed that the French police can be labeled racist.  

The unease between the French and the police worsened last year with the violent repression of the Yellow Vest movement. Several people were mutilated and lost their sight due to the excessive use of rubber bullets to disperse the protests. This unprecedented repression against a social movement tarnished the image of the police. Today, these same police officers complain of a lack of recognition, even though they too suffered significant abuse. The crisis stems from political leadership, a deeply rooted culture of violence stemming from a colonial tradition, according to historians, and persistent racism in society, despite the ongoing process of racial mixing among the French.

President Emmanuel Macron declared this week that racism is "a disease that affects all of society." He urged French representatives to be "relentless" on this issue and to "strengthen actions" against prejudice based on citizens' origins and skin color. But when speaking about the demonstrations in France in honor of George Floyd and against police violence, Macron refused to engage in any kind of generalization. He advocated for the modernization of police approach and intervention techniques.