Police officers detain a person during a protest in Paris, France, June 6, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)
GENEVA – A group of United Nations (UN) experts on Thursday issued a joint statement criticizing what they saw as excessive use of force during protests in France earlier this year over a major pension reform and some mega-basin projects.
"The police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowds: ammunition that France is the only European country to use in public order operations," they said.
We know that some isolated acts of violence have damaged public property and injured members of the security forces however, the number of people injured and the severity of reported acts of violence (by the police) is alarming.
UN experts
The signatories of the statement are all UN special rapporteurs, including Clement Nyaletsossi Voule (freedom of peaceful assembly and of association), Pedro Arrojo-Agudo (the rights to water and sanitation), David R. Boyd (human rights and the environment), and Michael Fakhri (the right to food).
They called on the French authorities to undertake a comprehensive review of their policing strategies and practices to enable protesters to voice their concerns more freely and to facilitate peaceful protests and broad participation in public affairs.
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Earlier this year, thousands of people mobilized throughout France to denounce both the Government's proposed pension reform and its water management policies, which protesters found inadequate in the face of the climate crisis.
The experts noted that protesters from all age groups and different social movements – including trade unionists and environmentalists – promoted and adopted peaceful methods, and that the demands of the organizers were clearly stated ahead of the gatherings.
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Police crackdowns, however, reportedly left dozens of people injured, including protesters, journalists, elected officials, and passers-by.
"We know that some isolated acts of violence have damaged public property and injured members of the security forces," the experts said, "however, the number of people injured and the severity of reported acts of violence (by the police) is alarming."
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The statement also called on the French authorities to refrain from the stigmatization and criminalization of civil society organizations and individuals who are raising awareness about the consequences of climate change, only to justify the excessive, repeated, and intensified use of force against them.
