French government backs down and will rewrite controversial new security law

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) –
Following major protests across France, President Emmanuel Macron’s governing party announced Monday that it will “totally rewrite” a controversial new law that would have made it an offense to film and identify police officers online if there is intent to harm their “physical or psychological integrity,” Euro News reports.

The highly controversial “article 24” of a new “global security” bill had given rise to fears that police officers would be enabled to commit violent acts with impunity.

“Article 24” had already drawn the attention of the United Nations and the European Union when a crisis erupted as police officers were filmed beating up a black music producer on Thursday, Euro News reports. Four officers were charged in connection to this incident, and two were taken into custody.

Although the proposed legislation had passed its first stage in France’s parliament last week, tens of thousands of people took to the streets at the weekend in protest against it, Euro News said. Some 98 law enforcement officers were injured in clashes with protestors and there were 81 arrests.

While left-wing parties had demanded the entire security bill be canceled, President Macron’s party LREM (La République en Marche) announced it will insert “a complete new rewrite” of article 24 into the remaining proposed legislation, Euro New reports.

Human rights groups have also weighed in, saying that “article 24” would have enabled police violence to go unchecked.

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