Growing fear of protesting in France

A growing fear of protesting is taking hold in France, particularly after the events of October 17, where demonstrators suffered police charges, tear gas, and crowd control tactics, pushing an increasing number of people to refuse to take to the streets. The enforcement of order has become progressively harsher since the Labor Law in 2016, with the deployment of confrontation units such as the BAC and Brav-M instead of escort units, the near systematic use of tear gas, and the popularization of the LBD.

Personal accounts of fear

This Saturday, Bastien, a 40-year-old Parisian hairdresser, will not go to protest. Not because life has suddenly become cheaper or because problems have vanished in a matter of days. But "on October 17, I thought I was going to die. I know the struggle is important, but not to the point of losing my life." He recounts, still shaken, the multiple police charges and repeated use of tear gas on the Place de la République.

Fear among demonstrators

Insidiously, a fear of protesting is taking hold of the country. Even among those who still take to the streets. "I know why I go. But I also know what I risk," says Safia, a 37-year-old anarchist activist and frequent demonstrator.

Changes in police tactics

The Labor Law, the first rupture in the enforcement of order. For Nathalie Tehio, president of the League for Human Rights, the turning point occurred during the mobilization against the Labor Law in 2016. "Before, contact with the police was infrequent. The enforcement of order consisted of escorting or, at worst, making false charges to intimidate before retreating." During the Labor Law, police numbers were quickly overwhelmed by a massive social movement that lasted for months.

Impact of arrests and violence

The arrests completely change the course of the mobilizations. "Even to arrest one person, it means entering the procession, splitting the demonstration... The procession is no longer sacred," notes Nathalie Tehio. Another turning point was with the "yellow vests," when the violence already present during the Labor Law multiplied tenfold.

Broader forms of repression

Magali Della Sudda, a research director at the CNRS and specialist in mobilizations, has observed in her hundreds of testimonies collected a brutality in various forms, physical of course, but also symbolic in rural areas with pressure from the mayor or the gendarmerie, "in places where everyone knows each other." There is also a financial deterrent with refusals to go to demonstrations "out of fear of fines of 135 euros."

Impact on vulnerable groups

In the face of these violences, not all groups are equal, starting with children. It seemed unthinkable to Hélène, in advertising and creation, to miss October 17. Yet she did not go to the demonstration in Nantes that day: "I have seen too many children with limbs torn off, blinded, gassed, handcuffed. I have seen too much violence to go to a demonstration as before."

Exclusion of vulnerable groups

Degradation of the ability to demonstrate. Like children, an entire vulnerable group is increasingly invited to stay safely at home. The elderly, people with disabilities, or even women... Safia, who hates being told what to do, finds herself dissuading her friends from demonstrating: "I know it's too dangerous for them. Today, it's better to have some experience in demonstrations, to be a bit hardened."

Unreasonable use of force

Unreasonable use of weapons. "There is an addiction," laments Nathalie Tehio. Who recalls that tear gas is considered a weapon and should normally only be used in case of violence. "However, it has been a long time since that has been the case." The same goes for NAS, which make post-demonstration organization impossible: "We no longer know if we will be able to join the procession or when we will leave it."

International concerns

Democratic danger in the home. The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Michael O'Flaherty, issued a warning to France in October, urging it to protect the right to peaceful assembly and to prefer de-escalation. On Thursday, UN experts said they were "disgusted" by the "repression" of student demonstrations in France.

Importance of protest in French democracy

"The demonstration in France is not only a constitutional right but also an element of our political heritage," indignant Magali Della Sudda, recalling that on January 10 and 11, 2015, the day after the Charlie Hebdo attacks, it was the President of the Republic himself who called on the French to "republican demonstrations." "La Marseillaise literally invites people to march to defend democracy."