PARIS: The French government sacked the top police official in Paris on Monday (Mar 18) following another weekend of rioting in the capital during “yellow vest” protests which have put President Emmanuel Macron on the defensive.
The police’s failure to keep the Paris protests from spiralling out of control over the weekend again cast a harsh spotlight on their tactics.
About 5,000 police were deployed in the capital on Saturday, far outnumbering the several hundred black-clad rioters who caused havoc in front of groups of often passive policemen for more than seven hours on the famed Champs-Elysees.
Business owners were left fuming on Monday, as Macron cut short his skiing holiday to meet top ministers to discuss the 18th consecutive Saturday of “yellow vest” demonstrations.
“The events of last Saturday, in particular on the Champs-Elysees, were unacceptable and the president asked the government to provide a response that was up to the needs of the situation,” Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said in a televised statement.
After criticising “inappropriate” instructions on the use of rubber bullets given to security forces, he announced that the head of Paris police, 66-year-old Michel Delpuech, had been fired and would be replaced on Wednesday.
He also said that French authorities would ban demonstrations on the Champs-Elysees and other areas of the country if hooligans were detected there, adding that fines would be increased from €38 to €135 for people attending unauthorised protests.
More than 100 businesses were damaged at the weekend in Paris including dozens of luxury shops and restaurants on the Champs-Elysees.
Since the end of December, the number of “yellow vest” protesters has fallen, but each Saturday thousands still take to the streets, including far-right and far-left groups as well as anarchists who are responsible for much of the violence.
For decades, French authorities have usually preferred controlling mass protests with tear gas and rubber bullets while avoiding physical confrontation between police and large groups, experts say.
Although some protesters have been injured by the rubber bullets, so far nobody has been killed in clashes with police, but officials say the risk would increase if officers charged the hostile crowds.
Junior Interior Minister Laurent Nunez admitted on RTL radio on Monday that police “were less aggressive, less reactive than usual” over the weekend, promising a review of the instructions given to officers and their deployment.
While seen as too lax on Saturday, French authorities have been accused on other weekends of being too heavy-handed, highlighting the difficulty of managing the crisis for the government.
The UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet called for a “full investigation” into the possible use of excessive force by French police during the protests in an address on March 6.
Since the demonstrations began on Nov 17, some 1,900 people have been hurt, including dozens who have suffered serious injuries from stun grenades or rubber bullets fired by police.
Rights groups have tried to have the heavy rubber bullets used by the French police banned, noting that France is one of only a handful of Western countries to use them. — NNN-AGENCIES
