https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed I once lost the ignition key to a hire car. Stranded in a small Norman town, ten kilometres from home, writes John Lichfield. I knocked on the door of the local gendarmerie. A kindly gendarme drove me home. https://www.thelocal.fr/20201203/analysis-how-did-frances-relationship-with-its-own-police-get-so-bad Thu, 03 Dec 2020 14:03:29 +0100 analysis-how-did-frances-relationship-with-its-own-police-get-so-bad France's top constitutional authority said on Thursday it had rejected a key article of a new security law that could see prosecutions of people who publish photos or film footage of police officers. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210520/frances-constitutional-court-rejects-proposed-law-limiting-filming-of-police-officers Thu, 20 May 2021 19:56:35 +0200 frances-constitutional-court-rejects-proposed-law-limiting-filming-of-police-officers The French government sent police reinforcements on Tuesday evening to two Paris suburbs to try break a cycle of gang violence after two 14-year-olds were stabbed to death in separate brawls. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210224/police-reinforcements-in-paris-suburbs-after-two-teens-stabbed-to-death-in-gang-brawls Wed, 24 Feb 2021 14:26:59 +0100 police-reinforcements-in-paris-suburbs-after-two-teens-stabbed-to-death-in-gang-brawls The French government begins a public consultation exercise on Monday aimed at devising ways to increase public confidence in the police that has been eroded by repeated scandals over racism and brutality. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210201/france-begins-consultation-on-increasing-public-confidence-in-police Mon, 01 Feb 2021 09:15:11 +0100 france-begins-consultation-on-increasing-public-confidence-in-police Six NGOs filed a formal notice to the French government on Wednesday demanding an end to what they said was racial profiling by police through identity checks, or else face a class action. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210127/frances-police-subject-of-lawsuit-by-human-rights-groups-over-racist-identity-checks Wed, 27 Jan 2021 11:46:35 +0100 frances-police-subject-of-lawsuit-by-human-rights-groups-over-racist-identity-checks They appear in the news almost weekly, smashing windows and setting fires, but who are France’s ‘Black Blocs’ and what do they want? Ingri Bergo talked to one activist about her life of violent protest. https://www.thelocal.fr/20201209/interview-a-french-black-bloc-rioter-explains-what-is-behind-the-weekly-explosions-of-violence Wed, 09 Dec 2020 13:21:30 +0100 interview-a-french-black-bloc-rioter-explains-what-is-behind-the-weekly-explosions-of-violence Two of France's largest police unions have called on their members to stop performing ID checks or even arrests after President Emmanuel Macron laid out a plan to deal with discrimination and violence by police. https://www.thelocal.fr/20201207/french-police-unions-call-for-total-blockage-over-macrons-plan-to-tackle-discrimination Mon, 07 Dec 2020 09:46:32 +0100 french-police-unions-call-for-total-blockage-over-macrons-plan-to-tackle-discrimination French MPs will completely rewrite the contentious Article 24 of the security bill that restricts the publication of images of police, which caused thousands to take to the streets in protest across France this weekend. https://www.thelocal.fr/20201130/breaking-french-government-to-rewrite-controversial-article-24-of-security-bill Mon, 30 Nov 2020 17:20:36 +0100 breaking-french-government-to-rewrite-controversial-article-24-of-security-bill Four French police officers have been charged in connection with the beating of a black man in Paris, as President Emmanuel Macron summoned ministers to an emergency summit. https://www.thelocal.fr/20201129/french-police-risk-charges-over-music-producers-beating Sun, 29 Nov 2020 16:35:57 +0100 french-police-risk-charges-over-music-producers-beating France's interior ministry said 62 police officers were injured and 81 people arrested during the nationwide protests against police violence on Saturday as a press freedom group denounced the "unacceptable" injury of an award-winning Syrian photojournalist. https://www.thelocal.fr/20201129/huge-protests-in-france-against-police-violence-end-in-injuries Sun, 29 Nov 2020 11:17:08 +0100 huge-protests-in-france-against-police-violence-end-in-injuries Thousands took to the streets across France on Saturday to protest against a new security law that would restrict sharing images of police, days after footage showed police officers beating and racially abusing a music producer. https://www.thelocal.fr/20201128/protests-take-place-across-france-against-police-violence-and-new-security-law Sat, 28 Nov 2020 16:10:38 +0100 protests-take-place-across-france-against-police-violence-and-new-security-law Dozens of rallies are planned on Saturday against a new French law that would restrict sharing images of police, only days after the country was shaken by footage showing officers beating and racially abusing a music producer. https://www.thelocal.fr/20201128/protests-over-security-law-as-france-reels-from-police-violence Sat, 28 Nov 2020 12:22:35 +0100 protests-over-security-law-as-france-reels-from-police-violence French authorities on Friday detained four police officers suspected of beating and racially abusing a music producer in Paris in a case that President Emmanuel Macron said "shames us". https://www.thelocal.fr/20201128/french-policemen-detained-after-beating-music-producer-shamed-us-macron Sat, 28 Nov 2020 11:34:40 +0100 french-policemen-detained-after-beating-music-producer-shamed-us-macron French President Emmanuel Macron is "very shocked" by the images of a black music producer being beaten by police in Paris, a presidential official said on Friday, as pressure grows over the incident. https://www.thelocal.fr/20201127/macron-holds-talks-with-interior-minister-over-shocking-video-of-police-beating-music-producer Fri, 27 Nov 2020 13:18:43 +0100 macron-holds-talks-with-interior-minister-over-shocking-video-of-police-beating-music-producer France's interior minister on Thursday ordered the suspension of several police who beat up a music producer in central Paris after images posted on social media sparked new anger over the conduct of the security forces. https://www.thelocal.fr/20201126/france-interior-minister-orders-suspension-of-police-caught-on-camera-hitting-music-producer Thu, 26 Nov 2020 14:14:43 +0100 france-interior-minister-orders-suspension-of-police-caught-on-camera-hitting-music-producer France's new interior minister has caused a bit of a stir by denying the use of the term police violence and saying that the French police use only 'legitimate violence'. So why has this caused outrage and what's the issue with the French police? https://www.thelocal.fr/20200729/do-the-french-police-really-use-legitimate-violence Wed, 29 Jul 2020 10:18:32 +0200 do-the-french-police-really-use-legitimate-violence President Emmanuel Macron has promised a night work allowance for France's police force, after officers demanded greater government backing in the face of protests over claims of brutality and racism in their ranks. https://www.thelocal.fr/20200728/macron-promises-extra-night-work-allowance-for-french-police Tue, 28 Jul 2020 14:20:13 +0200 macron-promises-extra-night-work-allowance-for-french-police French investigators have questioned four police officers over the January arrest of a Paris delivery driver who died after they allegedly pinned him to the ground as he repeatedly shouted "I'm suffocating", sources said on Monday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20200623/four-paris-police-officers-questioned-over-death-of-man-after-chokehold Tue, 23 Jun 2020 11:00:33 +0200 four-paris-police-officers-questioned-over-death-of-man-after-chokehold Local authorities say that calm has been restored to the eastern French town of Dijon after four nights of running battles, so what is behind the violence? https://www.thelocal.fr/20200617/guns-chechens-and-reprisal-raids-what-is-going-on-in-dijon Wed, 17 Jun 2020 10:29:11 +0200 guns-chechens-and-reprisal-raids-what-is-going-on-in-dijon The chain reaction from the killing of George Floyd has been extraordinary - as much outside the United States as inside - writes John Lichfield. https://www.thelocal.fr/20200610/opinion-are-french-police-racist-yes-some-of-them Wed, 10 Jun 2020 13:08:38 +0200 opinion-are-french-police-racist-yes-some-of-them