Paris policemen face suspension for tear-gassing homeless man

By Shweta Desai

PARIS (AA) - Paris policemen are facing suspension after a video of them tear-gassing a homeless person surfaced on social media, sparking a debate on police brutality.

Faced with a public backlash, the Paris police in a tweet on Friday evening said it has approached the agency of Inspectorate General of the National Police to investigate the incident of the use of tear gas by a police crew.

A criminal investigation will be opened against the police crew on night patrol for indulging in violence with a service weapon. “Officials once identified will be subject to suspension,” the tweet said.

The 20-second video clip published on social networks shows a police vehicle reversing down a street in Bourget in the suburbs of Seine-Saint-Denis after spotting a homeless man on the sidewalk of a street.

A policeman then sprays a large volume of tear gas at the man’s face without any provocation and the vehicle drives off, while the shocked man screams helplessly and collapses on the sidewalk.

The video taken by a civilian from a nearby building and posted on Twitter is being widely circulated as yet another case of the brutality of the French police. The homeless person believed to be mentally disturbed allegedly threw objects at passers-by, and in reaction, a cyclist alerted the police, the witness who took the video told FranceTV.

Left-wing politician Raquel Garrido wrote to the Paris police chief about further action against the policemen calling it “unacceptable behavior.”

The Paris police have been implicated in several incidents of unprovoked violence and the death of civilians. Most recently, the police opened fire at passengers of vehicles in two separate events causing deaths and serious injuries after they refused to comply with their orders.

In 2020, the police were caught on CCTV camera violently assaulting a black music producer outside his studio for allegedly not wearing a mask during the pandemic.