At the call of police unions, rallies were held in 20 cities in France on Saturday, whose participants condemned the “deplorable” working conditions of police officers and the lack of funding for the state police. As Le Parisien reported on its website, police unionists called on citizens to realize the seriousness of the situation and come to support them with their participation.
- There were protests in France for better conditions for police officers.
- Unions warn of overloading, poor working conditions and little funding.
- Far-right politicians in Paris also took part in the protests.
- The Minister of the Interior explained the absence by the need for neutrality, the government admits the investment.
- Trade unionists estimated the participation of 45,000 people in 20 French cities.
In Paris, several far-right politicians also took part in the rally on Bastille Square and the subsequent march through the streets of the city: Sarah Knafová and Thierry Mariani, who want to run for the post of mayor of Paris in the municipal elections, as well as far-right member of the European Parliament Marion Maréchalová and the chairman of the radical party Rebellion, France (Debout la France – DLF) Nicolas Dupont-Aignan.
According to Alliance police union general secretary Fabien Vanhemelryck, the police “can no longer carry out its work under normal conditions” and is “overburdened” due to understaffing, poor working conditions and inadequate premises. He also drew attention to the decrease in the number of employees and the increased burden in police departments, for example in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in the metropolitan area of Paris.
In addition to Paris, protests were also held in Nice (400 participants), Toulouse (400), Bordeaux (200) and Pau (80). Trade unionists estimate the participation in the entire country at about 45,000 people. The French Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, whom the trade unionists invited to their protest, did not personally participate in the demonstration on the grounds that it was a trade union action and he was bound by neutrality.
However, through a post on social networks, he highlighted that the government has created 12,500 new posts in the police force since 2017, doubled the infrastructure budget and bought 19,000 vehicles. The government is also planning further investments in police personnel and equipment, Nuñez emphasized.
