French President Opens Up Negotiations After Police Protests

French President François Hollande announced on October 20 that he would welcome  discussion and negotiation with French policemen and police unions after they launched a series of protests last week. Hollande’s announcement came after three days of protests in Paris in which police officers denounced the government’s failure to provide sufficient resources to fight rising crime. The most recent protest, on the night of October 20, saw the attendance of around 400 off-duty police officers.

When Hollande stated that he would be willing to meet with police union leaders on Wednesday, October 26, he emphasized the fact that he fully supported these unions and their struggle. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve added that he “understood their exasperation.”

The Director of the National Police, Jean-Marc Falcone, also released a statement, affirming that he, too, would play an active role in the coming negotiations, and that he planned to propose a public security plan to the Interior Minister. As he explained, his goal is “...to move into a phase where we can better equip, re-equip, and prepare” police officers.

This national string of protests centered in Paris have persisted ever since a police officer was violently attacked earlier this month. On October 8, approximately ten unidentified assailants petrol-bombed a police patrol car stationed in the south of Paris. The 28-year old officer who was in the car is now in intensive care. His fellow officers observed several vigils last week outside the Paris hospital where he is currently seeking care.

As one of the protesters from this week told BFMTV News, “We’re sick of hearing about colleagues getting attacked. And on top of it all, it feels like we’re getting no emotional response from the government.” Another local police officer told the Nice Matin, a newspaper, that “We want to be heard by our hierarchy and by the judiciary. If we become victims ourselves, who will protect the public?”