France’s Emmanuel Macron retreats over police protection law after clashes
- Government will rewrite controversial legislation that would have made it harder to film officers
- Decision follows mass protests in major cities, which were further fueled by the release of footage of a black man being attacked by police
President Emmanuel Macron is backing away from plans to make it harder to film the French police after footage of officers attacking a black man prompted outrage at mass protests over the weekend.
The French government has decided to rewrite the controversial section of a new security law following the demonstrations in major cities across the country, said Christophe Castaner, head of Macron’s ruling party in the parliament.
“We know that doubts still exist” and “we must listen to those doubts”, Castaner told a news conference on Monday. “When such a misunderstanding continues to intensify on such a fundamental subject, we have a duty to collectively question ourselves.”
Article 24 of the “global security law” would make it a crime punishable by a year in prison and a €45,000 (US$54,000) fine to publish the face or any other identifying feature of a police officer with intent to cause them “physical or psychological harm”.
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Paris police beating black man triggers outcry in France
Castaner said that provision will be entirely redrafted, while insisting that the aim remains to better protect the police both for professional journalists and for citizens posting images on social media.
The retreat is a blow to Macron’s party which pushed for the legislation as part of a drive to improve security and crack down on crime.