Act III of the Yellow Vests: a trial requested against 9 CRS for having beaten “non-hostile” demonstrators

Les investigations se sont appuyées sur de nombreuses vidéos montrant des violences. Capture d'écran X

The Paris prosecutor's office requested this Wednesday, July 31, 2024, the dismissal of nine CRS suspected of having hit or bludgeoned "non-hostile demonstrators" in a Burger King restaurant during act 3 of the yellow vests, thus paving the way for a trial in this symbolic case of police violence.

The facts date back to December 1, 2018, in a Paris shaken by the social protest of the yellow vests.

While demonstrators "s’took refuge" in a Burger King, near the Champs-Elysées, certain CRS from the Chalon-sur-Saône company hit them several times "equipped with their baton and shield", according to the final indictment delivered on Wednesday and consulted on Thursday by AFP.

9 CRS officers aged 29 to 51

They explained, during the investigations, that they were tracking down shoplifters. But these violent protesters appeared "not hostile", the prosecution stressed: they "were on the ground" or "were trying to get out with their hands in the air".

The violence continued "probably" even outside the restaurant.

The prosecution requested that nine CRS officers, aged from 29 to 51 years old, be tried before the criminal court for aggravated willful violence by a person in a position of public authority.

The violence attributed to six of them resulted in total incapacity for work (ITT) of less than or equal to eight days for the civil parties. Their lawyer, Laurent-Franck Lienard, could not be reached immediately.

A protester received 27 baton blows

The investigations relied on numerous videos showing violence.

The very first was broadcast four days after the events by the HZ Press agency on YouTube and triggered the opening of a preliminary investigation. Then investigators from the National Police General Inspectorate (IGPN) used the restaurant's video surveillance.

A camera filmed a demonstrator lying on the ground in front of the cash register, receiving a total of 27 baton blows from six riot police. Another showed a journalist, wearing a press armband, being hit with a baton.

🗨 "Oui, il y a de la violence policière, malheureusement."

➡ Ce colonel de gendarmerie reconnaît que des manifestants ont subi des violences de la part de CRS

📺 Extrait d'un long format de @BFMTV à découvrir ce soir à 20h40 pic.twitter.com/5MssBywuTg

— BFMTV (@BFMTV) April 8, 2019

While victims remain unidentified, five people have joined the judicial investigation opened in May 2019 as civil parties.

At the time of the events, “police violence did not exist for Emmanuel Macron", Arié Alimi, counsel for two injured protesters, attacked Thursday, contacted by AFP. The lawyer, who represents many civil parties in cases of accusations of police violence, predicted that “the multitude of upcoming procedures will allow the population to become aware of the tragedy experienced by all the victims”.

This indictment is “excellent news even if we remain with a mixed feeling, that of a justice that is passed with forceps and in pain”, also declared Moad Nefati, lawyer of the protester injured by 27 baton blows.

He castigates in particular “the total exoneration” of the hierarchical superiors of the company, two of whom were placed under the more favorable status of assisted witnesses, thus escaping prosecution.

A "definitive assessment out of the norm" of means used

This company was instructed to "oppose the vandals who were looting the shops", the prosecution recalls. But the investigations established that these injured protesters had not committed “any offence of violence or damage […] within the establishment" and had instead "taken refuge" in the Burger King, whose entrance door had been damaged.

To defend his troops, the commander, placed under the status of assisted witness, argued that the company had been confronted with "200 to 300 violent rioters" just before the intervention within the Burger King. However, he acknowledged that their intervention could “appear shocking”.

In front of the investigators, the management confirmed “that the use of force at that time was not legitimate and that the individuals had not had time to leave the premises on their own initiative”, notes the prosecution.

In its administrative report cited by the indictment, the company “reported a final assessment outside standard" of means used during the intervention, including 1,700 tear gas grenades, 312 LBD shots, "but also of injuries within his unit" (27 injured out of 63 CRS).