CRS union presents "a thousand excuses" – RT in French

The CRS branch of Unsa-Police lamented the confrontation with firefighters in Paris and said: "Colleagues are ashamed of having received such lousy orders (…) It is the feeling (…) vis- to orders received from our senior executives. "

The CRS section of the UNSA-Police union apologized on Twitter on the evening of October 15 for the management of policing firefighters who protested: "The CRS shameful for gassing the firefighters while the protest was good child. United in the same fight to defend their working conditions. No consideration of our decision makers. A thousand excuses. "(Since the publication of the article by RT France, the Twitter account of the CRS pole of Unsa-Police has chosen to withdraw its tweets, screenshots of which appear below):

On October 16, the union branch made a tweet in its comments: "Colleagues are ashamed to have received such lousy orders. All together behind the same banner. Serve, "and add:" For those who did not understand, it is the feeling of colleagues vis-a-vis orders received from our senior leaders. "

Firefighters showed their anger in the streets of the capital on October 15 in a "good-natured" atmosphere, as noted by several journalists from RT France as well as commentators interviewed on the spot. The soldiers of the fire, organized in inter-union, demanded in particular a revalorization of their salary, guarantees against aggressions or the maintenance of their retirement. This event comes after a two-month symbolic strike in the emergency centers where firefighters also demanded progress on staffing and workloads.

The use of force is disputed

Despite a festive atmosphere, however, the government has opted for uncompromising policing for firefighters, including mobile gendarmerie squadrons, Republican security companies, and defense companies. the national police in number, while the demonstrators joined the Place de la Nation from the Republic Square through the Bastille.

Police water cannons have been deployed to keep firefighters at bay. They have indeed wanted to enter the ring road in eastern Paris at the Cours de Vincennes and the Porte de Vincennes in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. They also demonstrated against the seat of the National Assembly.

Does our prefect know at least that our CRS colleagues could have been screwed up by thousands of firefighters?

On both fronts, the dialogue has become more muscular: water cannons and tear gas canisters have soon been replaced by hand-held guns, soft defense sticks and even defense bullet launchers, according to one source. police officer, as well as a viral video on Twitter in which a firefighter wounded in the leg said he was shot "at close range" by a police officer from the CRS.

An image of a mobile policeman using his tear gas canister on a firefighter demonstrator is also a symbol after this day of protest:

A police association denounces: "Firefighters were gassed, it was not happy!"

Interviewed by RT France, a community activist policeman who participated in the demonstration of firefighters in solidarity on October 15 described the scene as he experienced it: "The firemen were hot and some had drunk, it's clear, but it was good child. I knew they were going to tickle colleagues (police). And we, the police side, we know that the policing with firefighters is not easy. Colleagues were well aware that they would try to go on the device as always. That's why there were water cannons, it was to avoid contact. In addition, the firemen, they come equipped, they have helmets, gas masks jackets and everything. We knew it was gassing too, that was certain. All this gave a management of the police … a little weird! The cops certainly wanted to avoid contact, but here we are at to flash (term derived from the brand Flashball, replaced from 2009 by LBD40 Brugger & Thomet) firefighters, while it is already difficult to to flash aggressive offenders in the suburbs … To flash firefighters, no! "

The policeman who knows the trade union world feels that Unsa-Police's apology was not unexpected: "Unsa had to react! It is the priority syndicate of CRS, many of which are unionized, which is more. But opposite, side firefighters, there were many unions too, including the firemen branch of the same union family (Unsa). There, it's messy … and behind, it's going to yell in the power plant. "

Zero tolerance on the Cours de Vincennes when everything is forbidden in so-called sensitive cities

The association federation of the Union of Independent National Police (UPNI) and the Autonomous Collective of Police of Ile-de-France (CAP-IDF) also reacted to this operation of policing on Facebook on October 15 and directly questioned the management of the prefect of police, Didier Lallement: "The devices of maintenance of the order have now taken the habit of stopping the rallies and other gatherings too often in a disreputable way, and this when it s' acts of collectives without union and / or political label. (…) In the late afternoon, firemen were gassed, wet the Karcher in Sarko, "flashballer", "tonfater". It was not happy! And especially not glorious. The police chief of Paris will say that the demonstrators have fought and that his police has acted to restore order as quickly as possible. Will he find cases of self-defense against the unspeakable aggression of a few dozen men of fire? Able. Does our prefect know at least that our CRS colleagues could have been screwed up by thousands of firefighters? Or how to send us to the pipe … Danger. "

And the statement continues with questions about the merits of the approach favored by the authorities: "OK, the order must be restored. But how ? And what disorder are we talking about? Zero tolerance on the Cours de Vincennes when everything is forbidden in so-called sensitive cities … "

Antoine Boitel

Read also: Thousands of angry firefighters protest in Paris (VIDEOS)