Press Freedom and Police Brutality

Süddeutsche Zeitung reports on France’s new ‘Global Security’ law that has sparked a wave of protests. The law, proposed by French President Macron’s party La République en Marche, aims to regulate the cooperation between the national police and gendarmerie, private security services and local city police. However, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin added an article to the text which the majority of French news agencies see as an attack on the freedom of the press. The controversial article makes it a criminal offense to film police officers at work and then distribute these images. Anyone who violates it can be punished with up to one year in prison and with fines of up to 45,000 euros. According to Interior Minister Darmanin, hate speech against police officers has increased significantly on social media. He defended Article 24 by saying that it was about "regaining power in the war of images."

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Fr24news writes about the statement of the European Commission on the proposed Global Security Law in France. The Commission warned that news media must be able to “work freely,” spokesperson Christian Wigand said. “The Commission refrains from commenting on draft laws but it goes without saying that during a time of crisis it is more important than ever, and we have said this often in different contexts, that journalists can do their work freely and in full security,” Wigand added. Moreover, he said that “as always, the Commission reserves the right to examine the final legislation in order to verify that it complies with the law of the European Union.” When drafting security legislation, Member States must respect the principle of proportionality and strike the right balance between ensuring public safety and protecting citizens’ rights and freedoms, including the freedom of expression, media freedom, freedom of association, privacy, and access to information. 

Der Standard writes about the opposition to the French Global Security Bill, relating the proposed legislation to the recent dismantling of a refugee camp in Paris. Even French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, was “shocked” by the police operation on the Place de la République. On Tuesday night, police units dragged refugees out of their tents. Activists were beaten and the police used tear gas against them. That same night, pictures of the armed police operation circulated online. Representatives of the ruling party La République en Marche (LRM) admitted that there had been “excesses” on the part of the police during the dismantling of the refugee camp. Darmanin could not help but distance himself from the apparent violence of individual police officers and demanded a report on the incident. Nevertheless, the minister is still trying to salvage the controversial security law, which has received much opposition from left-wing parties, trade unions, and the Greens. Article 24 in the Global Security Bill prohibits demonstrators and journalists from disseminating photos and videos of police officers if these images affect the “physical or psychological integrity” of those photographed “on purpose.” Eric Coquerel, La France Insoumise MP, described Article 24 as an “attack on the freedom of the press,” adding that “nobody would talk about this new police violence if there had been no pictures of it.”

Delfi reports on incidents in Paris between refugees and the police. Last Monday, the police used tear gas on residents of camps in Paris set up in protest of the previous eviction of hundreds of migrants from other camps, who were forced to move into the streets in the centre of the capital. Volunteers helped build about 500 tents, which were quickly occupied by migrants. About an hour later, the police arrived to dismantle the tents. “They are too cruel,” said Shahbuddin, a 34-year-old Afghan who was expelled from his tent. “We just want a roof over our heads.” Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris, wrote a letter to Minister Darmanin, condemning the “brutal and disproportionate use of force,” adding that such actions in the capital were “unfortunately not unprecedented.” Paris has become one of the main places of temporary accommodations for migrants arriving in Europe – tent camps have been springing up with relative frequency, each summarily dismantled by the police. Thousands of people are in transit from Paris to Calais, where they hope to cross the English Channel. Meanwhile, the government is already being heavily criticised for the new security bill. A group of public figures, including filmmaker Costa-Gavras and former footballer Lilian Thuram, wrote an open letter this week calling for the repeal of the bill.