Hijab-wearing women to file complaint over beating by French police

By Esra Taskin

PARIS (AA) - Two Muslim women wearing headscarves, or the hijab, who were beaten by French police last Thursday on the Clichy Bridge will file a complaint against the officers, their lawyer announced on Twitter.

Nabil Boudi said his clients, who were subjected to police violence, still cannot get over the shock of the incident, but they are determined to see that justice is served.

The complaint will be filed directly to the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) for willful violence by public officers.

Video footage of the attack showed the police had beaten two women wearing headscarves for minutes in the middle of the road, punched one of them, and tried to throw the other one to the ground.

In other video footage taken by a woman passing by, the police continued to attack the women despite warnings from people at the scene, claiming they had the authority to beat them.

After the video footage went viral, many users on social media commented that the French police were Islamophobic.

The Paris Police Department in a statement claimed that the two women prevented a police car from stopping a suspicious vehicle by crossing the road.

Based on witnesses' reports, it was stated that contrary to the French police's statement that the police had beaten the two young women, who were exercising their right of passage, for Islamophobic reasons and that the statement was "made up" to protect the police.