France: Joint statement following the demonstrations on Saturday, December 12: 60,000 protesters against liberticidal legislation in France, arbitrary arrests in Paris

Paris, December 13, 2020

Around 60 demonstrations against the proposed "Global Security" bill are still punctuating this weekend throughout France. At least 60,000 people marched on Saturday, December 12. More than 150 cities, from metropolises to smaller towns, have already seen at least one gathering since 28 November, thanks to the associ
ative, trade union and political fabric on which the democratic vitality of this country still rests. We welcome that.

tch(err) {} However, as we feared, the Paris demonstration, although duly declared by a collective of organisations and authorised by the police prefecture, turned into a mousetrap.

Many observers observed on Saturday 12 December in the capital unacceptable excesses linked to a brutal police and military deployment and infringing on the right to demonstrate: mass arrests, unfounded charges causing the procession to break up, detention without legitimate reason beyond the legal deadline, police custody notified to the channel on the basis of misguided criminal offences, refusal to contact the lawyer designated by the detainees ... Once again, both journalists and protesters were targeted. The executive branch has given its determination to stop any challenge.

In Lyon and Caen, similar practices were noted.

Let us make no mistake: the total number of arrests updated live on the Home Secretary's Twitter account too often conceals arbitrary procedures. Testimonies are pouring in and confirm this. The government narrative is based on artificially inflated figures. This manipulation has already been used on May 1, 2018 and during the Yellow Jacket movement.

The power seeks to discourage us, but it will not succeed!

Our organizations are seeing that the offensive against our fundamental freedoms continues. The three decrees of 2 December 2020 extending the possibilities of registering activists and their entourage to minors as well as their health or activities on social networks will be challenged in court. The so-called "Separatism" law represents another wedge against freedoms.

This is unheard of in France. We are slowly but surely sliding towards an authoritarian regime, an illiberal state, a police state. The less legitimate the policies of this government appear, the more it uses repression and stifling freedoms to impose them.



Initial signatory organizations:
Association du cinéma indépendant pour sa diffusion (Acid - Association for the Dissemination of Independent Film) - Association des cinéastes documentaristes (Addoc - Association of Documentary Filmmakers) - ATTAC – Black Robe Brigade - Collectif Kelaouiñ - Club de la presse Occitanie (Occitan Press Club) - Confédération générale du travail (General Confederation of Labour - CGT) - La Quadrature du Net (LQDN – Squaring the Net) - Ligue des droits de l'Homme (LDH - League for Human Rights) - Politis - Profession : pigiste - Reporters en colère (REC - Profession: Freelancer - Angry Reporters) - Scénaristes de Cinéma Associés (SCA - Associated Film Writers) - Société des personnels de l'Humanité - Société des réalisateurs de Films (SRF - Society of Human Personnel - Society of Film Directors) - Syndicat de la magistrature (Magistrate’s Union)- Syndicat national des journalistes (SNJ - National Union of Journalists) - Syndicat national des journalistes CGT (SNJ-CGT - National Union of Journalists-CGT) - Union syndicale Solidaires -