This Monday June 8, Secretary of the Interior Christophe Castaner addressed and announced measures against police violence. He says systematic suspension will be considered for each justified suspicion of racism within the forces of order, the abandonment of the "strangulation" method, visible wearing of the ID number and reinforcement of the use of cameras.
One week after George Floyd has died and the anger it sparked in the United-States, in France, a demonstration was held in Paris claiming justice for Adama Traoré. As he became a symbol of the fight against racism and police violence, the Adama Traoré case regularly makes the news since the 24-year-old man died in 2016. On June 2, 2020, results of a counter-expertise asked by the family dropped: they say the ventral tackle of the police on Adama Traoré when he was being stopped would have led to his death.
As on Instagram feeds have been covered in black in tribute to the victims, thousands of demonstrators gathered in Paris to protest in front of the law court. The day after the events, Secretary of the Interior Christophe Castaner has addressed the matter of police violence. At the Senate, he defends the favorable public opinion towards the forces of order in France saying: “reality is not made on social networks”.
Yet, he also says intransigence will be shown in case of French authority abuse, saying that “the exigence we have towards policers who would commit an offense is to guarantee the serenity of the police’s work, guarantee the defense of this republican police that, on a daily basis, fights against racism, antisemitism”. He promises that “any offence, any excess, any word including racist sayings” will be subject to an investigation, decision, sanction.
Later this week, Street Press media discloses the existence of a private group on Facebook in which members of the forces of order are said to have written racists messages. This Friday June 5, 2020, according to the AFP, Secretary of the Interior have been told about the scandal and have referred the justice. A source close to the minister would have said: "If this is true, these unacceptable statements severly harm the honor of the police and the national police force which men and women are committed daily to protect French people, including against racism and discriminations. This is why the Secretary of the Interior has decided to refer the public prosecutor".
