Dhe French authorities are facing increasing criticism, not only at home, for the sometimes violent crackdown on participants in the pension protests. Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, called the conditions under which freedom of expression and freedom of assembly are exercised in the social mobilization against pension reform “worrying” in a statement published on Friday. “There were violent incidents, some of which were directed against the security forces,” Mijatović said. However, “sporadic acts of violence” by some protesters or other reprehensible acts by others during the protests did not justify the “excessive use of force by officials”.
The day before, the human rights organization “Amnesty International” had clearly criticized the French authorities and denounced “excessive use of force and abusive arrests”. Among other things, tear gas was sprayed on peaceful demonstrators. “Reporters Without Borders” has also spoken out critically. “Many reporters covering the current protests against French pension reforms have been subjected to arbitrary arrests, assaults and intimidation by the police,” the journalists’ association said.
Audio recordings of a Paris police unit published by the newspaper “Le Monde” and the portal “Loopsider” caused a stir in public. Police officers openly threatened demonstrators with violence. The responsible police prefect called the statements unacceptable and referred to ongoing investigations. The police and gendarmerie were also victims of violence during the pension protests. The French Interior Ministry spoke of 441 injuries last Thursday alone.