French people are not the only ones to grow worried because of the Global Security Law. The European Commission issued warnings against the French government.
What causes the fracture is article 24 of this law: it aims at banning disseminating images of law enforcement officials, if these pictures aim at “causing physical or psychological harm”. Any offender lays themselves open to a year’s imprisonment and €45,000 fine. The government maintains this law shall not “harm the right to inform”; the malevolent intention shall be “obvious”.
A statement leaving protestors and the European Commission doubtful, especially as the European Commission called to order. European executive spokesman Christian Wigand told AFP that “The commission does not comment on draft laws, but it goes without saying that in a period of crisis it is more important than ever that journalists must be able to do their jobs freely and in complete safety. As is always the case, the commission reserves the right to examine the final legislation in order to verify that it conforms to EU law.”
Then, the Commission insists on the importance of press freedom, while being the safeguard for Human Rights. The spokesman maintains the European Commission will carry out its duties in the event France slips. “Ensuring the security of all those living in Europe is a key priority for the commission, and we are working hand-in-hand with the member states” Wigand said.
Wigand also reminds the principles that any European country has to respect when drafting legislation: “When drafting their security legislation, member states must respect the principle of proportionality and strike the right balance between guaranteeing public security and protecting citizens' rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression, media freedom, freedom of association, privacy and access to information.”
This draft sows seeds of doubt in the society’s minds. After demonstrations everywhere across France, it is now MEPs’ turn to protest against article 24. LREM MEP Nathalie Sarles was interviewed on Monday November 23 by France Bleu. With the Global Security Law, the MEP considers “we are slowly heading to an authoritarian state, towards the abolition of personal freedoms”.
