Dozens of French policemen took to protest against the accusations of racism as well as what they describe as the hate campaign against them sparked by the George Floyd rallies.
Officers, most wearing face protection, were seen throwing their handcuffs on the ground in a symbolic gesture.
Earlier, officers staged protests on Champs-Elysees Avenue and on Place de l'Étoile.Une nouvelle action nocturne de policiers près de la Tour Eiffel #Police #PoliciersEnColère pic.twitter.com/qYlaPTa6pi
— Xenia__Sputnik (@XseniaSputnik) June 14, 2020
They were also singing Marseillaise at the background of the Eiffel Tower.
— Sputnik France (@sputnik_fr) June 14, 2020
Police demonstrations in France have been sparked by Interior Minister Christophe Castaner's speech on Monday, in which he said the police arrest technique of seizing the neck will be abandoned and no longer taught in police and gendarmerie schools, while also threatening the "systematic suspension" of officers suspected of racism.
Following Castaner's remarks, Yves Lefebvre, the general secretary of the Unite SGP-Police union, said the interior minister had lost the trust of the French police and called on Castaner to reverse the chokehold ban.
