Police Brutality Paris

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France police brutality suburbs

The Paris suburbs, branded a hotbed of violence since the 2005 riots, are again in the spotlight since footage of a young man being beaten by the police emerged on Monday.

The video was filmed on the evening of Tuesday 14 October by Ladj Ly, a local resident who is also a member of the directors' group Kourtrajmé Productions, which created the controversial video clip by French DJs Justice, set in the scene of supposedly yob-ruled violent suburbs. The video was filmed on rue Picasso, in the heart of the Des Bosquets estate, Montfermeil, an impoverished area of the northern Parisian banlieues (suburbs), known by the international press for their repeated clashes between residents and the police. This time, the police were chasing 20-year-old Abdoulaye Fofana, suspected of having taken part in the vandalism of a police car a few hours earlier.

About 42 seconds into the video, we see the police strike a young man several times. According to the independent news website which published the video, Rue89, the man was also beaten before the camera started filming (read the full story in French). On Sunday it was announced by the local prosecutor that the affair was under investigation by the independent police complaints commission (Inspection Générale des Services).

We asked a specialist of the area, who works namely in Des Bosquets, to comment on the affair.

"You have no idea of the conditions these people live in"

Michel Desdouets is a community worker in Des Bosquets and the surrounding area.

"I know rue Picasso, the street where this all kicked off. I'm there sometimes for work. There's nothing surprising about the number of police that turned up. It's not a place where just a pair can intervene ... that said, the interventions should match the threat level. In this case, a brick had been thrown threw a police car window, there was no terrorist threat putting the population in danger. If they carry...