Hundreds of French police officers in Marseille walked out in protest against their colleague's detention on suspicion of racially motivated violence during the recent wave of riots, media reported Monday
PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th July, 2023) Hundreds of French police officers in Marseille walked out in protest against their colleague's detention on suspicion of racially motivated violence during the recent wave of riots, media reported Monday.
Around 659 law enforcement officers have not showed up for work, including some 300 who have called in sick since the officer's detention on Thursday, La Provence daily reported.
The member of the elite BAC police squad was placed in custody for reportedly beating a man of North African origin in early July, while three of his colleagues are under house arrest.
National police chief Frederic Veaux said in an interview with Le Parisien over the weekend that a police officer should not be held in prison even if they commit "serious mistakes" in the line of duty.
"I can't sleep knowing that he is in prison... But justice never gives in to media or street pressure, it deals with cases. Once the emotion and the anger has passed, it is necessary to find technical and legal means so that this police officer regains freedom," he said.
A wave of violent protests swept France following the fatal police shooting of a teenager of North African descent on the outskirts of Paris on June 27. The shooting reignited national debate about racial bias in the French police force.
