For Denis Jacob, the “security response” to urban violence for four days is “a false debate”.
“It is not the police who will solve all the fundamental problems that we have today in our society“, affirmed Friday June 30 on franceinfo Denis Jacob, secretary general Alternative Police CFDT, while urban violence broke out in several cities in France since Tuesday and the death in Nanterre of Nahel, 17, killed by a police officer during a traffic check.”The security response is a false debate“, insists Denis Jacob, wanting to stand out”of the speech that is currently launched” by other trade unions. The Alternative Police CFDT representative also takes note of the government’s announcements, “greater network control” And “appeal to parents” notably.
>>> Death of Nahel: follow the latest information live
franceinfo: No state of emergency declared, armored vehicles deployed, major events canceled. Are you satisfied with the government’s response?
Denis Jacob : I think it was urgent to prevent any problem, any breakage, any ransacking, any fire. Indeed, the President of the Republic made several announcements that I myself asked for this morning in a press release: more resources, more staff, more protection for police officers of course, greater control social networks since it mainly goes through social networks for calls, for coordination, for the start of the breakage.
And then, a very important thing that I had also asked for this morning, is the central question of parental authority and responsibility. The President of the Republic has launched an appeal to parents. Because we have unfortunately found that a large number of young people are young minors, pre-adolescents, and that, when we are in a theater of urban violence, there can unfortunately be injuries. It would be tragic to have young kids injured when the police forces are going to have to go and arrest those who are committing abuses of all kinds.
I may denote the discourse that is currently being launched through the police union organizations, but I say very clearly: the security response, yes, now, because we have to stop it burning. But the fundamental problem by the security response is a false debate and it is not the police who will solve all the fundamental problems that we have today in our society.
The Alliance and Unsa police unions speak of “harmful” to designate the rioters. They add that “we are at war”. Would you have used those words?
There is the art and the way of saying things. Everyone expresses themselves the way they want. I’m not here to lecture anyone. But when you have another very minority organization which makes particularly scandalous remarks and for which the Minister of the Interior asks for the dissolution, it is sure that it will not go to calm the tensions in which we find ourselves.
But it also reveals, unfortunately, a very great and strong dissatisfaction of the police who are each time the targets when there are evils in our society. Because it is the only visibility of the State, of the Republic that we have in front of us, in particular a population that has been abandoned for decades. And it’s true, there is this weariness, this discontent, this fatigue. And so some are surfing a little on it to respond to my colleagues, to whom I also wish good luck and above all to pay close attention to them because we are still recording a few hundred injuries already. So I think it is not for me to comment on the publications of colleagues and nevertheless union competitors. I think it still belongs a little more to the authorities.
In the event that these riots last, are you sufficiently equipped?
We have equipment. The problem is that there is the material which is in stock and there is the material at our disposal. And it’s true that we’re starting to run out. But the Minister of the Interior replied this evening that all the necessary equipment would be delivered. And that will therefore reassure our colleagues. When I talk about equipment, it is naturally non-lethal ammunition which makes it possible to keep rioters who would like to physically attack the security forces at a distance. I am thinking in particular of tear gas canisters. It is true that there is starting to be a very low stock. We had already been waiting 24 hours for a restocking. The Minister announced that everything would be done to ensure that we were provided with it very quickly. So I’m not worried about the possibility and the ability to hold urban violence. Nevertheless, I urge my colleagues to be very careful.