This Week in Human Rights News

Protests in France against an anti-security bill

Sources: Al Jazeera, BBC, The Local

• For the second consecutive weekend, thousands of people across France have protested against a proposed security bill that would make it more difficult to film police officers and prosecute cases of abuse.

• The bill was backed last week by the lower house of Parliament, and is now awaiting Senate approval.

• Protesters are calling for Article 24, one of the most controversial elements of the new law, to be withdrawn. Article 24 would criminalise the publication of images of on-duty police officers with the intent of harming their "physical or psychological integrity". It says offenders could face up to a year in prison and be fined €45,000 (£40,445; $53,840).

• The government argues that the bill does not jeopardise the rights of the media and ordinary citizens to report police abuses - and is only aimed at giving protection to police officers.

• But opponents say that without such images, none of the incidents of policy brutality which took place over the past week would have come to light.

• Days prior to the first weekend of protests, footage showed several police officers beating and racially abusing a music producer.

• In the face of growing public criticism, Prime Minister Jean Castex said he would appoint a commission to amend Article 24. But Castex was forced into a U-turn even on this proposal after parliament speaker Richard Ferrand - a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron - accused the premier of trying to usurp the role of parliament.

• "Police everywhere, justice nowhere" and "police state" and "smile while you are beaten" were among the slogans brandished by protesters.

• In Paris, chants of Darmanin démission (Darmanin resign) could be heard, referring to the unpopular Minister of Interior Gérald Darmanin, who has vocally backed the security law.

• In a tweet, Darmanin praised the police for facing down “very violent individuals”.

• Minister of Interior Darmanin said at least 64 people had been arrested across the country and eight police officers were injured. 

• In the western city of Nantes, two riot police were injured, one of them with a Molotov cocktail, French media reported.

• In the capital Paris, protesters on Saturday set fire to several cars, pillaged a bank and tossed objects at police.