New tensions in France after policeman jailed over violence
policeman in the city of Marseille sparked new controversy Monday weeks after violent riots, with a call from police chiefs for the officer to be freed prompting fury on the left and concern within the judiciary.France was rocked by over a week of riots that began last month over the killing of 17-year-old Nahel M. by a policeman during a traffic check outside Paris. The officer has been charged and jailed ahead of trial.
In the incident in Marseille, a man named as Hedi, 21, says he was beaten by four or five men he identified as police during unrest in the city over the death of Nahel M. earlier this month. He says he was also hit in the head by a blast ball fired by police.
He underwent operations and has now returned home but risks losing the sight in one eye, according to his lawyer. Four police were charged last week over the incident, one of whom was remanded in custody ahead of trial. «Knowing that he is in prison is stopping me from sleeping,» said France's national police chief Frederic Veaux in an interview with Le Parisien newspaper published on Monday.
«In general, I believe that ahead of a possible trial, a police officer should not be in prison, even if he may have committed serious faults or errors in the course of his work,» he added. Paris police chief Laurent Nunez tweeted that he shared the stance of Veaux. In an interview with French television, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that he understood the «emotion» of the police after the recent riots, while emphasising that «no one in the Republic is above the law».
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