The broadcast of a sound recording, on March 24, 2023, revealed intimidation and insults by officials of this motorized brigade towards demonstrators, including a young black man. Nearly a year later, two police officers were summoned to appear.
The scene takes place almost a year ago, on the sidelines of the strong protest against pension reform. On March 20, 2023, in Paris, police officers from the Brigades for the Repression of Motorized Violent Action, or Brav-M, made insulting remarks and threatened arrested demonstrators. One of them records the officials’ comments. The content of this audio, transmitted to several media four days after the events and which Franceinfo was able to consult, arouses great emotion. It is made public at a time when certain members of the police are accused of police violence during the demonstrations, and when voices are being raised to criticize the behavior of the Brav-M and demand their dissolution. The next day, the Paris police prefect contacted the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN), which is leading the investigation.
On July 5, 2023, the Bobigny public prosecutor’s office (Seine-Saint-Denis) ordered the referral to justice of two police officers among the ten present during the events, for “violence by a person holding public authority” and “threats of violence “. The hearing is scheduled for Thursday March 7, at 1 p.m., before the Bobigny criminal court, but is likely to be postponed. Franceinfo returns to this affair in four questions.
1 What was the behavior of the police during the arrest?
On the evening of Monday March 20, 2023, a demonstration against pension reform is being organized not far from Place de la Bastille, in Paris. At the corner of rue des Minimes and rue de Béarn, in the 3rd arrondissement, a group of seven people were arrested, without it being possible to establish their participation in the demonstration or in damage committed nearby.
In the 23-minute sound recording, we hear the officials addressing this group of people, who are waiting on the ground, while they prepare the arrest reports, before their transfer to the police station. One of the police officers comments in particular on the participation in the demonstration of a “student”, named Salomé: “You’ve never worked and you’re demonstrating against pension reform?” “Your life hangs by a thread”, another tells him.
Souleyman, a Chadian student, the only young black man in the group, is particularly mistreated. He received a slap from a police officer and his head was banged against the wall, according to all the testimonies of those arrested, who described his behavior as non-provocative and cooperative. Two noises, which may correspond to the blows, are audible in the audio document, accompanied by this injunction: “Wipe your smile, wipe your smile, wipe your smile.” The policeman continues to attack the young man: “Are you going to shut up or do you want me to start again?” Insults and humiliating comments continue for several more minutes, until the police are ordered to move to another area.
Eight days later, two complaints were filed on behalf of Salomé and Souleyman, by their lawyer, Arié Alimi. He denounces racist violence in meetings by a person holding public authority, forgery and use of forgery in public writing, acts of sexual assault and threats to commit crimes of a sexual nature as well as the non- assistance to a person in danger, all on the person of Souleyman. The young man claims to have been seized by the genitals by the official who carried out his pat-down.
Concerning Salomé, the complaint is filed for infringement of individual freedom and complicity in these acts, as well as violence in meetings by a person holding public authority and complicity. The student also denounces the conditions of her pat-down, carried out by a police officer, called there specifically to carry out this act.
2 Why are two out of ten police officers referred to justice?
Seizure, the IGPN is carrying out investigations. Ten police officers present at the time of the events have been identified, according to the investigation report, consulted by franceinfo. Everyone recognizes “largely” the comments made in the recording. However, the IGPN concludes that “only behaviors” of three peacekeepers are “likely to receive a criminal qualification”. Finally, the Bobigny public prosecutor’s office chose to prosecute two police officers, because the facts alleged against the third do not appear “not sufficiently characterized”.
A first civil servant, Pierre L., was referred to court for intentional violence resulting in total incapacity for work for two days. He is accused of having assaulted, “on two occasions, blows to the face” and having threatened Souleyman with violence “repeatedly”making, in particular, the following remarks: “Are you going to shut up or do you want the second one?” “You know, I can come and sleep with you if you want”, “Oh yeah? Ok, it’s the first one who gets hard who fucks the other.”
The second, Thomas C., is also being prosecuted for having uttered threats “repeatedly” to Souleyman by declaring, among other things: “I broke your legs! Literally, eh! I can tell you that we had a lot of trouble, but I would have broken your legs (…) But don’t worry that the next time we come, you won’t get in the bus to go to the police station, you’ll get in another thing called an ambulance to go to the hospital.”
In addition, the Bobigny public prosecutor’s office dismissed the complaint filed by Salomé, on the grounds that “the offenses reported” do not appear “not characterized”.
3 Why is the trial likely to be postponed?
For Arié Alimi, who represents Salomé and Souleyman, the prosecutions are too much “restricted”. This is why the lawyer filed, on their behalf, a direct summons from four police officers, and not just two. In addition, he asks the court to declare the police officer suspected of having struck Souleyman “guilty” of all the facts for which his client filed a complaint. He also wants the court to recognize the guilt of three other police officers, including Thomas, mainly for “violence in meetings by a person holding public authority of a racist nature”.
“The Bobigny public prosecutor protected the majority of police officers by prosecuting only two officials for a tiny part of the offenses”, argues, to franceinfo, Arié Alimi. The lawyer specifies: “This is why we are going to do the work for him, by completing the prosecutions. It is unacceptable that in cases of police violence, particularly committed by members of the Brav-M, the prosecution has the sole role to protect, as far as possible, the violent, racist and sexist acts they commit.”
If these direct subpoenas are found admissible, the court will set a new hearing date. Therefore, on Thursday, the hearing can be postponed, at least for the time to examine these new requests. “I stand by everything I said and I would like the four police officers to be summoned and answer for their actions,” observed with franceinfo Souleyman, who is not sure of going to the hearing. Salomé is thinking of moving, even if she says she has “little hope in his case”. “The threats I received are not in the recording… When it is not recorded, we leave it there”deplores the young woman, who has long had nightmares of the scene and keeps one “distrust of institutions”.
4 How do the police defend themselves?
According to the IGPN investigation report, the police officer tried for beatings admits “having pushed Souleyman back in the face”, “in response to the provocative attitude and a kick” of the young man. It also admits all of the “inappropriate remarks” on the recording. However, Pierre L. denies “having intended to threaten him, commit violence or attack his physical or sexual integrity”. “By telling him ‘he’s the first of the two to get hard and fuck the other’, he wanted to keep ‘the ascendancy over him’ and ‘have the last word’“, reveals the IGPN report. And he denies having struck a second blow to the face.
The second police officer referred to justice also recognizes all of the alleged comments and says he regrets them. According to the IGPN report, Thomas C. affirm that “his words exceeded his thoughts”, apologizes to Souleyman and declares “that he did not wish in any way to harm [son] physical integrity”. The third police officer for whom the IGPN had requested prosecution makes the same speech.
As for the one who carried out the pat-down of Souleyman, another official, he said he carried out a “summary search”. “He had only felt the lower back, the back and front pockets, as well as the ankles of the person concerned. The palpation took place without incident”, mentions the IGPN report. Heard only as a witness, this police officer is also the one who told Salomé that “his life hung by a thread”. If he explains that he chose to speak out “in a tone of humor”he concedes remarks “clumsy”. But he denies anything “sexist, racist or anti-Semitic character”.
Contacted by franceinfo, the lawyer for the police officers referred to justice does not wish to comment on this matter. As for the two officials, they did not respond to our requests. In this case, three police officers were referred to a disciplinary council by the Paris police prefect. It will take place on September 7, 2024, according to our information. In addition, four other Brav-M police officers received a warning.