03:57France: Police unions protest chokehold ban at Stade de France
Police officers and union representatives gathered outside the Stade de France stadium in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis on Tuesday night, to protest a wave of criticism directed towards law enforcement following massive worldwide anti-racism demonstrations sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The police officers, wearing the uniforms of various units or in civilian clothing, can be seen lined up along the stadium fences dumping their handcuffs to express their discontent with Interior Minister Christophe Castaner's alleged lack of support for his subordinates, and to stand united amid growing criticism of police tactics.
SGP Police union representative Linda Kebbab commented on the situation, saying "he threw us out to pasture in making the French people, our compatriots, believe that we are responsible for the deaths in France while our job is to protect them every day, risking our lives and being in contact with social misery, suffering and violence."
Last Monday, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner announced that chokeholds would be banned and no longer be taught in police training in a bid to improve ethics in the police forces, following a wave of protests against racism and police brutality around the world sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US.
On Tuesday, France's top police chief announced that the government was backing off from a total ban on the chokehold, instead opting to stop teaching it at police academies, but permitted it to be used until an alternative method is found.
03:57Police officers and union representatives gathered outside the Stade de France stadium in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis on Tuesday night, to protest a wave of criticism directed towards law enforcement following massive worldwide anti-racism demonstrations sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The police officers, wearing the uniforms of various units or in civilian clothing, can be seen lined up along the stadium fences dumping their handcuffs to express their discontent with Interior Minister Christophe Castaner's alleged lack of support for his subordinates, and to stand united amid growing criticism of police tactics.
SGP Police union representative Linda Kebbab commented on the situation, saying "he threw us out to pasture in making the French people, our compatriots, believe that we are responsible for the deaths in France while our job is to protect them every day, risking our lives and being in contact with social misery, suffering and violence."
Last Monday, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner announced that chokeholds would be banned and no longer be taught in police training in a bid to improve ethics in the police forces, following a wave of protests against racism and police brutality around the world sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US.
On Tuesday, France's top police chief announced that the government was backing off from a total ban on the chokehold, instead opting to stop teaching it at police academies, but permitted it to be used until an alternative method is found.