the Council of Europe is concerned about “excessive use of force” in France

The use of violence by the police raises questions at European level. The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Dunja Mijatovic, was alarmed on Friday 24 March by a “excessive use of force” towards the demonstrators against the pension reform. “Violent incidents have taken place, some of which have targeted the police”conceded the commissioner in a press release.

> > Audio recording reveals police intimidation of protesters

“But the sporadic acts of violence by some demonstrators (…) cannot justify the excessive use of force by State agents”she continued. “Nor are these acts sufficient to deprive peaceful protesters of the enjoyment of the right to freedom of assembly.”

Dunja Mijatovic also expressed concern about the arrest and placement in police custody of certain demonstrators and people in the vicinity of the demonstrations, wondering about “the necessity and the proportionality of the measures to which they have been subject”.

“Failure to declare a demonstration is not sufficient in itself to justify an infringement of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly of the demonstrators, nor a criminal sanction imposed on the participants in such a demonstration”, she noted, with reference to the words of Gérald Darmanin. As a reminder, the Minister of the Interior declared on Tuesday that participation in a “undeclared event” constitutes a “offense” Who “deserved” a “arrest”.