"Theo and Adama remind us why Zyed and Bouna ran" (The riots in 2005, often described as an insurrection or a rebellion, were triggered after two boys were electrocuted while hiding in a substation to avoid the police)
The facts seem pretty clear. A group of four young men were stopped by four police, at some point the exchange became aggressive. Three of the police arrested one of the men, Theo L. while the other one forced the others in the group back using tear gas and a diencirclement grenade. Theo was hospitalised for severe abdominal injuries due to having a truncheon inserted at least 20 cm into his rectum. The police claim this was an accident as his baggy trousers had slipped down.
The police were questioned and released although investigations are ongoing.
You've probably seen coverage of rioting and confrontations. There is obviously anger and fear, young people are used to being stopped, searched and assaulted. This is taking the routine humiliation even further. What did arouse less interest was the fact that the day after the attack two people were sentenced to 6 months in prison for rioting. Instant 'justice' for protesters, while the police are released.
There is municipal CCTV footage of the attack as well as numerous videos taken by bystanders. The Police have been completely ignored CCTV footage that could have exonerated people in the past without, as far as I can find, any consequences, so if this footage were to disappear it wouldn't be a surprise.
Surprisingly the French pres has been largely critical of the police and their actions and even the centre right have not been automatically defending the police (too openly anyway).
The attack has been described as a rape and the coverage hasn't been too abd, although I think there part be a bit of homophobia in the fact that this is seen as so indefensible, people who would normally defend the police on any charges of brutality are giving this one a wide berth.
The right-wingers are mostly keeping quiet and waiting for it to blowx over, or deploring the violent protests. MArine LePen has stated that she will always support the police until they are convictezd of a crime. For the moment I have no idea how likely that is. It doesn't seem like this one can be swept under the carpet and although historically the French police has just plain murdered people in the past, with named perpetrators and film of the attack it does seem like they will have to face some kind of justice.
Hey jef, thanks for this.. do
Hey jef, thanks for this.. do you think you could keep us updated with what's going on? I didn't know about the two people jailed but it highlights exactly how the justice system works in these cases..
Also be interesting to know how things develop re: the upcoming election.
The police officer accused of
The police officer accused of committing the rape has filed charges against Théo L. for "rébellion" (resisting arrest, can be fairly broad in its definition of resisting) and violence against a public official. He also stated in an interview with Le Point that Théo L. was 'violent, aggressive and known to the police'.
The commissioner of the area the officers were working for was punished with a year's suspended sentence and a year's suspension from work over the 'hubcap affair'. A drunk driver accused of striking his passenger was chased for 30km and refused to surrender after having crashed the car. Police officers were supposedly injured during the incident although none appear to have been signed off for injury, which is fairly unusual. The officers gave the man a severe beating while 'restraining' him and them put a hubcap between his buttocks and according to the victim threatened to sodomise him. The incident was in 2004 and the prosecution in 2008. There was footage of the entire incident which was confiscated by the police and subsequently disappeared.
There was a demo today at Place de la République, called by quite a few organisations (SOS Racisme etc) The station was closed and police report 2300 demonstrators, organisers 4-5000. It seems to have passed off fairly peacefully, there was an aside in Le Monde about those trying to 'provoke' the police. The leading banner said "From Zyed and Bouna to Adama and Théo: down with racism and police violence". Chants of "We don't forgive, we don't forget" and "Impunity and unjistice, let's disarm the police" were also heard.
Although the victim Théo L. hasn't been formally identified, he did appear on télévision, after a visit from the President, to ask for calm. Supposedly his own neighbourhood respeced this, at least initially. The school holidays have also been blamed for the violence and it will be interesting to see if it continues after Monday. It does already seem to have petered out, Prison sentences and heavy fines have been handed out fairly liberally. It's been pretty cold here most of that time, so protestors aren't just bored kids in the street.
It doesn't seem like this is
It doesn't seem like this is getting much interest. Kids asked me about it at work today though.
I translated an article about police getting paid when they are insulted or people resist arrest, I think I posted it but I can't find it though, can anyone out google me ? I think it'd be worth re-translating if I didn't post it before my computer died.
According to Paris luttes
According to Paris luttes there were about 20 schools closed after students blockaded them
Le lycée Claude Bernard (XVIe), Le lycée Voltaire (XIe), Le lycée Claude Monet (XIIIe), le lycée Colbert (Xe), Lycée Bergson (XIX).
Official sources say 16 total blockades and 12 partial.
Bins set on fire outside a few schools, including lycées Racine (8e), Voltaire (11e) et Bergson (19e).
Some fireworks set off too. There has, according to police, been a systematic attempt to target them using fireworks, although not on injury has been reported amongst the police.
Video of burning bins
The police apparently showed up early at lycée Hélène Boucher (XX) to prevent a blockade and may have done this elsewhere. Protesters whose blockades had failed were invited to head to Bergson (a massive school, well-known for militancy and the site of the assault on a student last year)
Outside PAris
Lycée Mozart (Blanc-Mesnil) Lycée René-Auffray (Clichy) .
By three all the blockades were lifted by CRS (this usually happens anyway, the blockades are usually abandoned after a few hours unless there is an occupation.
There was a meet-up at Place de la Nation, 1-2000 protesters, poilice kettled them and it looks like their lines held in spite of "determined attempts" by the protesters. Counter charges and gas used by cops.
Various reports of arrests, 20-25 is the figure given on PL.
Quote: It doesn't seem like
From where? I think there's lots of interest (def from me!) but there's just really little information in English outside of mainstream news sources.. and even then pretty basic: just repetition that there was an 'alleged' rape of a black man by police and occasionally updated videos of rioting (I've lost count how many times I've seen that scene of protesters fighting police on an overpass!)..
You reckon you could translate occasional Paris Luttes reports to our news section? Just to keep English-speakers updated with what's happening on the ground..
Guardian reading my libcom
Guardian reading my libcom posts and changing their editorial priorities accordingly..
Teenagers blockade Paris schools in protest over alleged police rape
That Guardian article has
That Guardian article has been tarted up quite a bit since this afternoon