France Protest Video Sparks Outrage

Topics: In The News ,; World Watch

A video posted on a French news website which shows police using aggressive force against a group of African immigrants who have been evicted from public housing has drawn the ire of human rights groups in the country.

The video posted by news website Mediapart shows police taking women, many with small children, into custody after they gathered outside the housing complex in protest.

According to CBS News partner Sky News, about 60 protesters set up camp on July 21 outside the housing project from which they had been evicted. The video shows one screaming woman fall down with a baby on her back before being dragged several feet by police officers.

A pregnant woman is also seen apparently unconscious on the pavement.

According to France 24, police in Seine-Saint-Denis released a statement saying the eviction operation, which apparently targeted illegal immigrants, "was carried out in relatively good conditions." The report said not all of those protesting were in the country illegally. Most of the immigrants involved were from the Ivory Coast.

The video is reportedly getting the attention of French politicians and immigration advocacy groups.

One local government council member blamed France's conservative president Nicolas Sarkozy (pictured above) for the incident.

"Faced with his failure in the suburbs, it is tempting for Nicolas Sarkozy and his government to abandon working-class neighborhoods or to try and rein them in through showy and highly publicized security operations," St?phane Troussel, a Socialist Party politician for the area told news website Somalia24.

France24 reported the video was shot on July 21 by an observer from Droit au Logement (Right to Housing), and posted online by Mediapart.

The video was allegedly filmed days before President Sarkozy announced the government would take away the right to dual nationality for immigrants convicted of crimes involving attacks on police of other public officials.

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by Shigide August 6, 2010 4:48 PM EDT: I dearly hope you are being sarcastic.; Reply to this comment


by Shigide August 6, 2010 4:46 PM EDT: From what I can see the police officers are just trying to arrest them for disturbing the peace. The protesters are trying to resist arrest, some of them are even hitting the officers. If you try to resist arrest you should expect to be carried or dragged away. The protesters are lucky the police didn't use "force" to subdue them.

Also I would like to note that having a baby does NOT make you immune to arrest. In fact choosing to resist arrest while carrying a baby is an act of endangering your own child.

The fact that this has gained so much attention just shows how subversive the world has become towards ANY kind of authority (It isn't always bad).

And I will say now, before you start slandering me by saying I cater to the MAN, that I am in fact a liberal. While this does not exclude me from MAN catering, I believe it shows I am repulsed by most institutions of authority. This one is not one of them.; Reply to this comment


by Kumar0167 August 5, 2010 5:30 PM EDT: Typical liberal feminazi tactics. If women want to be "equal" and all go out protesting and acting all big and bad - then they can't cry when the cops get tough with them - suck it up. Don't want your (most likely illegitimate) kids to get hurt then stay out of harms way and stop trying to use them as a tool to extract sympathy. I can't stand these pushy obnoxious manipulative parasitic feminazis, they're only lucky I wasn't one of those cops. These "ladies" deserve to be flushed down to the bottom of society and kept in the gutter where they belong.; Reply to this comment

by rainbowbrew August 2, 2010 3:34 PM EDT

The police are the same all over. Power hungry jackbooted mindless idiots.

People who join the police are mentally deranged and have IQs of 5

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by patocc123 August 3, 2010 1:39 PM EDT: I hope you let them know that in your area.


by larlinc August 2, 2010 12:12 PM EDT: The French Republic has more immigration than any other nation in Europe. There are estimates of 19 million Arab and African immigrants in France. Why all of a sudden such hostility by the police. The republic has looked the other way for decades and NOW there is a problem???; Reply to this comment


by rockcutr August 2, 2010 10:06 AM EDT: Viva La France!!!!
Outrage expressed by the illegals is moot.
Damn the pooperatzi.; Reply to this comment

by tsigili August 2, 2010 10:04 AM EDT

Illegal immigration is a problem for many countries, and they should NOT be faulted, for taking measures to control it.

France is simply doing what they MUST do.

The US, SHOULD be taking the same actions, but the dictatorship in America is doing exactly the opposite.

Reply to this comment


by GTR5 August 3, 2010 10:00 AM EDT: You are right! Illegals are the problem. All illegals, in any country, should be picked up and immediately deported. Sheriff Joe is an American hero.


by patocc123 August 3, 2010 1:42 PM EDT: I think someone should be checking the immigration status of legacyabq2 here. If not at least watch the individual as he/she is showing signs of aggression that should warrant looking into.