Thousands protest over French security law as pressure piles on Macron amid police violence

Dozens of rallies are taking place against the controversial bill that would restrict sharing images of police

Media unions say the provision could give officers a green light to prevent journalists from documenting abuses

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People gather on the Place de La Republique square in Paris for a protest against a draft security law. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:29pm, 28 Nov 2020Updated: 11:28pm, 28 Nov 2020

Thousands took to the streets across France on Saturday to demand the government abandon a contentious new security law, in a controversy intensified by the beating and racial abuse of a black man by police officers that shocked the country.

The demonstrations against the security law – which would restrict the right of the press to broadcast images of police officers’ faces – took place nationwide with the central Place de la Republique in Paris filled to the seams despite the coronavirus pandemic.

President Emmanuel Macron said late Friday that the images of the beating of black music producer Michel Zecler in Paris last weekend “shame us”. The incident had magnified concerns about alleged systemic racism in the police force.

“Police everywhere, justice nowhere” and “police state” and “smile while you are beaten” were among the slogans brandished by protesters in the crammed Paris square.

The Paris authorities had demanded that organisers limit the rally to a single location, but on Friday evening officials authorised a march from Place de la Republique to the nearby Place de la Bastille.

An investigation has been opened against the four police involved but commentators say that the images – first published by the Loopsider news site – may never have been made public if the contentious Article 24 of the security legislation was made law.