Pension reform: “There are no preventive arrests” – says the police prefect

“There are no preventive arrests”Paris police prefect Laurent Nunes said on Thursday, March 23, in response to lawyers, magistrates and political leaders condemning “arbitrary imprisonment” During the actions held against the pension reform. While a new union march is planned for the afternoon in the capital, Mr Nunez insisted there were eight previous demonstrations. “it went well”. It was the police “from a distance” while staying “Great Response” he in front “Radical Elements”he specified “We are very determined to contain and prevent violence”.

asked about “Wild Parades” The undeclared, who walked the streets of Paris every evening for a week and burned trash cans or street furniture, the prefect described them as follows. “Urban Violence Phenomenon”. He justified the arrests made during this meeting with a challenge “Groups to commit violence” : “There are no preventive arrests. We will continue to challenge”.

The police chief also said that if “gestures” The accused are among the policemen, he asked every time “account”. “At the very least, there is an administrative investigation and the IGPN.” [police des polices] » can intervene “in court”. “When there are extremely borderline gestures, the police are responsible”he assured her.

“Irregular records”, “Empty in terms of proof of guilt”

In their dispute, lawyers, magistrates and politicians condemn police detention “arbitrary”See in it, as well as in other mobilizations of recent years, A “Social Movement Repression”. According to the latest consolidated report from the Paris prosecutor’s office, police arrested 425 people during the first three evenings of the spontaneous demonstrations, from Thursday to Saturday. Only 52 of them were finally punished.

“It was really all kinds of profiles: students at ENS, doctors, homeless, minors, trade unionists, teachers, people out of conference and bored.”, described to Agence France-Presse Me Coline Bouillon, one of the lawyers who helped the demonstrators. People were arrested “Participation in a group to prepare for violence”or “hide face” and remained in police custody for 24 or 48 hours, clarified the lawyer speaking “Police custody-sanctions”with some “irregular entries”, “Empty in terms of proof of guilt”.

“We will ask about crimes that we believe have been committed.”But “48 hours [de garde à vue] Attempting to materialize a crime, that’s short »Invited to BFM-TV on Tuesday, the police prefect already said.

Warning of the rights defender about the consequences of “preventive” arrests

In a press release, the Judiciary Union (SM), which is classified as left-wing, also condemned the multiple placements in police custody on Monday. “Social Movement Repression”. “There is an instrumentalization of criminal justice by political power to prevent demonstrators from demonstrating and exercising this freedom.”Also believes Me Raphaël Kempf, who emphasizes the absence “Repair” or “apologize”.

Manuel Bompard, coordinator of La France insoumise (LFI) condemned Tuesday on France Info, “This abusive detention practice” And Europe Ecologie Les Verts asked “Trap Stopping Techniques Considered Illegal”. On the same day, in a press release, rights defender Claire Haddon “Warning about the consequences of arrests, which will be preventive”.

Faced with denunciations of police violence, Elizabeth Bourne assured the National Assembly on Tuesday during a question session for the government, “We pay tribute to our law enforcement officers who ensure the safety of the demonstrations.” The Prime Minister said that they have “It is the duty to set an example and they know it, our policemen and gendarmes too.”

This was announced by the Minister of Internal Affairs Gerald Darmanin “94 officers” He has been injured since Thursday, March 16 and announced that he will leave in the afternoon “Wounded policemen’s bed in Paris”. He also noted “The essential proportionality of the use of force and the necessity of immediate arrest of the inspection in case of violation of ethics”.

“A serious attack on the most basic right to security guaranteed by our Constitution”

The Association for the Defense of Constitutional Freedoms (Adeliko) took legal action on Wednesday to put an end to this so-called “Preventive”. In his press release, Adeliko assesses that:

“These arrests arbitrarily deprive the persons concerned of their freedom, so that the slightest initiation of any crime cannot be justified. Just as seriously, these arrests deter citizens from demonstrating. This extremely disturbing practice in the rule of law is a serious attack on the freedom to come and go, to meet, to demonstrate, as well as the most basic right to security guaranteed by our Constitution. »

The association reported that it is “Filed an interlocutory application at the Administrative Court of Paris” So he ordered the Paris police prefect, Laurent Nunes, to end the law enforcement policy.

Around 12,000 police and gendarmes, including 5,000 in Paris, are mobilizing this Thursday, the 9th day of protests against the reform, one of the most important devices implemented since the start of the dispute.