French President Emmanuel Macron faced backlash last week over a proposed law that would make it illegal to post photographs of police officers that could potentially expose an officer to “physical or psychological integrity.”
Euronews.com reported that the main criticism of the proposal comes from those who see it as a crackdown on press freedoms. They point to the punishment that can carry a year’s prison sentence or a fine of €45,000, and they say the law would greatly diminish the press’ ability to hold law enforcement responsible for misdeeds. The bill has already been passed by the country’s National Assembly, which is considered its lower house of Parliament.
One of the issues with the bill is many critics see the wording as vague. The New York Times reported that under the law, it would be illegal to broadcast “the face or any other identifying element” of the officer.
The Times reported civil liberty advocates in France have grown concerned over what they see as a “rightward push” by Macron’s centrist government. One other bill Macron’s government hopes to pass focuses on Islamic extremism and calls for the banning of home-schooling. The bill also would demand all organizations receiving public subsidies to be tested on “the values of the republic.”
The Financial Times reported those opposed to the law banning most photographs and videos of police say it is intended to shield the public from blatant instances of police brutality. There was an incident last Monday where police officers were accused of “exceptional savagery” when dismantling an illegal migrant camp in the city.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the head of France’s Unbowed party, told Parliament, “An authoritarian regimes installing itself. The first Liberty the citizen should benefit from is the control of those to exercise authority.”
TRENDPOST: Yesterday, the French parliament did a 180, dropping the bill that would have basically prevented anyone from filming policemen in action. Christophe Castaner, the head of Macron’s La République en Marche! (LREM) party, said at a news conference, “There is a need to clarify the measure,” and the bill will be “completely rewritten and a new version will be submitted.” We note this to illustrate the power of the people when they unite in protest against political systems and politicians who rob them of their constitutional rights and human privileges. As the “Greatest Depression” worsens, battles between people and the state will intensify, with the police taking stronger measures to enforce political dictates.
