Two protesters lodge complaint against police officers for violence and sexual assault
Two protesters accused of striking officers during a demonstration on 31 October in Paris have filed a complaint against police for aggravated violence and sexual assault.
Cross-complaints following the Paris demonstration of 31 October
According to Le Nouvel Obs, two protesters arrested after the demonstration on 31 October in Paris filed a complaint on Wednesday against members of law enforcement for aggravated violence and, for one of them, for sexual assault. The two men are themselves accused of striking two police officers during this social action.
The two protesters were presented on Saturday to a magistrate, who decided to pursue them subsequently for violence against a person holding public authority. Both were placed under judicial supervision and categorically deny the charges against them.
Accusations against the police
One of the protesters, a man in his twenties known by the pseudonym Léo, claims to have found himself surrounded by BRAV-M officers (Motor-based Unit for the Suppression of Violent Action). He alleges he was struck by someone running, then arrested in a brutal manner. According to his complaint, a police officer "squeezed his testicles and penis with force". His complaint denounces sexual assault through violence and coercion, specifying that "no security pat-down could consist of grasping and squeezing with force a person's genitals".
Léo recounts having vomited from pain during transport to the police station after a police officer allegedly struck his head. The second complainant denounces a violent interrogation "completely naked" during his police custody. Both men claim to have received numerous blows at the police station.
Accusations against the protesters
The Paris police prefecture confirmed that one of the protesters allegedly struck a police officer in the face. This officer was prescribed three days of total work incapacity for broken teeth and five days of psychological incapacity. The second protester is suspected of striking another police officer with his fists, causing no work incapacity.
Judicial proceedings
The lawyer for the first complainant, Alice Becker, responded to Agence France-Presse: "I am horrified by the chilling account of how this police custody unfolded". The prefecture assured that an investigation would be opened if the complaints concerned "acts committed during their arrest or police custody".
Source: Le Nouvel Obs