French teen seeks justice after policeman beats, urinates on him - Al Jazeera English

The mobile telephone footage is shaky, but undeniable. A slender teen sits successful the harsh fluorescent glare of a constabulary presumption successful the Paris suburbs.

Towering supra him is simply a municipal constabulary serviceman successful a acheronian bluish uniform, his bulky framework accentuated by a bulletproof vest.

The serviceman taunts and intimidates the boy, grabs him by the collar, jerks him violently to 1 broadside of the seat and hits him hard crossed the head.

He is lone 14 years old.

While shocking, it is not the worst of the maltreatment this insignificant suffered past twelvemonth connected March 17.

The constabulary officer, identified arsenic Cédric G, had allegedly urinated connected him and 1 of his 2 16-year-old friends earlier that night, aft detaining the trio for breaching curfew rules successful unit during the coronavirus pandemic.

Also contiguous connected the country was section constabulary main Yohan C, who allegedly told 1 of the 16-year-olds: “Since determination are trees and you are Black, you could ascent onto the trees.”

Media investigation

The case, precocious exposed by French quality tract Mediapart, is the latest successful a agelong enactment of constabulary abuses which person travel to airy successful France successful caller times, often targeting Black and Arab men, demonstrating what rights groups word systemic brutality and racism successful its information forces.

Despite being sacked by the municipality of Saint-Ouen past twelvemonth successful July, some Cédric G and Yohan C subsequently recovered municipal jobs elsewhere successful the Paris region.

And, portion Cédric G – inactive operating arsenic a constabulary serviceman – faces prosecution astatine Bobigny tribunal connected December 15, his erstwhile brag appears to beryllium disconnected the hook.

“Police officers cognize they are protected,” said Omer Mas Capitolin, a laminitis of the Community House for Supportive Development, 1 of six NGOs that past twelvemonth raised a people enactment against the French authorities for systemic favoritism by constabulary officers carrying retired recognition checks.

“These sorts of cases are widespread. Often radical don’t talk retired due to the fact that it’s excessively humiliating,” helium told Al Jazeera. “But those boys were lucky.”

As it turned out, the member of 1 of the victims, an anti-crime cause with the nationalist constabulary force, instantly complained to the municipal authorities. But it was inactive their connection against that of the sworn constabulary officers.

Long litany of denials

Faced with a agelong litany of denials that immoderate unit had occurred, supported by a bland constabulary study connected the supposedly regular ID checks carried retired connected the night, the lawsuit mightiness person collapsed had the important video grounds not travel to light.

But adjacent though the falsehoods and cover-ups person since been exposed, justness is acold from being done.

According to Mediapart, investigators were denied information camera footage from the determination wherever the boys were detained and reportedly handcuffed and beaten, with the power centre claiming the footage had already been erased.

The mobile telephone footage from the station, taken by an serviceman identified arsenic David L, subsequently came to light.

Faced with irrefutable impervious of his abusive behaviour, Cédric G dismissed his actions arsenic a mates of “slaps”, claiming that the 14-year-old had insulted him.

According to grounds by 3 constabulary officers, Yohan C seemed to explicit “pride” erstwhile shown the video evidence.

The municipality acted connected the evidence, and some officers were sacked successful abbreviated order. But contempt their repeated acts of atrocious faith, it did not spot acceptable to instrumentality claims that Cédric G had urinated connected the boys immoderate further.

The serviceman had claimed to beryllium suffering from a prostate problem, having simply “pinched his sex” to alleviate the request to urinate, a assertion backed up by Yohan C and the 5 different officers contiguous connected the scene, whose testimonies had different proven unreliable, to accidental the least.

Despite his expected condition, Cédric G failed to travel up with aesculapian certificates to backmost his testimony.

Tests connected items of covering provided by 1 of the victims arsenic grounds had travel up negative, a spokesperson for the municipality told Al Jazeera.

“Factually, the urination wasn’t proven by the inquiry. It’s hard if there’s nary proof. That’s wherefore we recognised an volition to humiliate successful the inquiry, but … nary urine.”

The town’s Socialist Party politician Karim Bouamrane, elected successful 2020, is trying to make an “ethical constabulary force, focused connected prevention, alternatively than repression”, helium said. “It’s a task that is adjacent to his heart.”

‘Indecent exposure’

The municipality is supporting the victims astatine the upcoming proceeding and reportedly covering their ineligible fees.

But, pursuing the municipality’s lead, prosecutors astatine Bobigny tribunal person besides shied distant from investigating claims that Cédric G urinated connected victims.

While the serviceman is being tried for “indecent exposure” and “deliberate unit by a idiosyncratic successful a presumption of nationalist authority”, helium volition beryllium spared immoderate further scrutiny connected the astir superior complaint of all.

Kathleen Taieb, the lawyer representing the 14-year-old, has accused the tribunal of habitually failing to amusement solidarity with victims of constabulary violence.

“The connection of the constabulary serviceman is ever stronger than the victim,” says Mas Capitolin. “The French authorities does everything to contradict the systemic quality of the problem. Black and Arab younker are targeted connected a regular basis. They are not considered afloat fledged French citizens. There is simply a governmental volition to stigmatise an full conception of the population.”

Abdoulaye Kanté, writer of Policier, enfant de la République, a publication detailing his agelong vocation arsenic a Black constabulary officer, facing down favoritism from colleagues and accusations of betrayal from his community, said the authorities are inactive “catching up” erstwhile it comes to tackling racism.

“It is wholly unacceptable,” helium told Al Jazeera. “The time you enactment connected your uniform, you are successful the work of citizens. It is our occupation to service citizens. If determination are colleagues who abuse, they indispensable beryllium denounced. If they are not denounced, we go complicit.”

“We person to beryllium relentless connected racist behaviour,” helium said. “Tough measures request to beryllium taken.”