French police officers questioned over police brutality

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
21 Jul 2023 14:59

The 22-year-old individual was hospitalized for several days after being severely beaten by police officers in Marseille.

French police officers arresting civilian protestors in France, July 2023 (AFP)

French law enforcement servicemembers were investigated over the brutal beating of a North African man during the demonstrations in early July, which were incited after a police officer shot dead Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old teenager of Moroccan and Algerian descent last month.

A probe was launched into six police officers in Marseille after a 22-year-old restaurant worker, identified as Hedi, was found unconscious on the street due to being shot with “flash ball” rubber bullets and heavily beaten with a truncheon, which required him to reside in a hospital for several days.

Hedi told the French newspaper La Provence that, after leaving a cafe near protest areas, a police force attacked him and his friend.

“They asked us what we were doing there,” he said. “I don’t think I had time to answer. I blocked a truncheon blow with my arm and we turned and ran.”

But the police officers shot him with a rubber bullet, which knocked him to the ground.

“They dragged me by the clothes into a side street,” he said. “One blocked my legs and they beat me.”

"Flash ball” rubber bullets used by the police to disperse demonstrations across France have been heavily criticized by human rights activists and organizations for their extremely harmful nature.

The bullets have so far caused the death of two individuals, while other victims were left suffering from brain injuries, eye loss, and broken bones, especially ribs.

The cold-blooded murder of Merzouk in Paris suburbs has exposed deep division within French societies. The event sparked ablaze a fire that holds within it decades worth of resentment felt by minorities in the country toward authorities.

The protests have also angered the right in France who have been critical of Macron's government for its inability to deal with the situation, leading to clashes between white civilians.