Pensions: Council of Europe alarmed by ‘excessive use of force’ in France

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović on Friday was alarmed by the “excessive use of force” against anti-pension reform demonstrators, urging France to respect the right to freedom of demonstration.

“There have been violent incidents, some of which have been directed against law enforcement,” the commissioner said in a statement. “But sporadic acts of violence by some protesters or other wrongdoing by others during a protest cannot justify the excessive use of force by state agents. These actions are not enough to deprive peaceful demonstrators of the right to freedom of assembly,” she continued in a public statement.

VIDEO. Night of March 20 in Paris: opposition condemns footage of “police violence”

“While a State may be empowered to use force, in particular to restore order, such use should only take place as a measure of last resort and in strict accordance with the conditions of necessity and proportionality, which is the basic obligation incumbent on any Member State. Council of Europe is to protect persons under its jurisdiction and their human rights,” the press release further emphasizes.

Recommendations Already Published During the Yellow Vest Crisis

The European Commissioner pats the French government on the fingers, and is also concerned about the arrests and police custody of some demonstrators and people in the vicinity of demonstrations for facts that do not justify the use of “measures that are so detrimental to the right to liberty and security of person.”

“The violence must stop. This is a necessary condition for the effective exercise of freedom of speech and assembly, as well as for trust between the population and the police,” concludes the Commissioner in this insulting text. This press release also invites the French authorities to follow the recommendations set out in the Memorandum on the maintenance of order and freedom of assembly in the context of the Yellow Vests movement, as well as the recommendations published this week by the Defender of Rights and the National Advisory Commission for Human Rights. Large stone in the gardens of the Elysee Palace and Place Beauvo.