Black Lives Matter, Police Violence in France and the USA

On October 14, 2020, two speakers from AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL will talk about the Black Lives Matter movement, police violence and excessive use of force with a comparative approach between USA and France.

• Kristina ROTH is the Senior Advocate for Criminal Justice Programs at Amnesty International USA. She oversees the organization’s work to abolish the death penalty and stop unlawful killings by police.
• Anne-Sophie SIMPERE is Advocacy Officer at Amnesty International France.

The killings of Black people in the United States have sparked mass movements across the country as people have taken to the streets to demand accountability, long-overdue reforms to policing and criminal justice systems, and an end to systemic racism. While the videotaped killing of George Floyd, as well as the killings of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, fueled the protests, the use of deadly force against communities of color is tragically not new. It is part of a historic pattern of discrimination by law enforcement, including unjustified stops and searches, racial profiling, and excessive use of force.

"Amnesty International has documented 125 separate examples of police violence against protesters in 40 states and the District of Columbia between May 26 and June 5, 2020, a period when hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. and around the world protested against racism and police violence and to demand that Black lives matter. The analysis shows that law enforcement consistently violated human rights out on the streets instead of fulfilling their obligations to respect and facilitate the right of people to peacefully protest."

"This unlawful use of force included beatings, misuse of tear gas and pepper spray, and the inappropriate firing of less-lethal projectiles, such as sponge rounds and rubber bullets. They were committed by a range of police officers across federal agencies, state and local police departments, as well as military forces."

Source: https://www.amnestyusa.org/protest-map/

If the question of police violence in France is different compared to the United States, with a stricter legislative framework and fewer cases of use of firearms, human rights violations by French police officers are still an issue considering the repeated cases of brutal arrests (some of which have resulted in deaths) and the difficulties to obtain justice for the victims and their families. In addition, the question of police brutality has become a key debate with the increasingly violent repression of demonstrations and the mutilation of many protesters, particularly in the context of the Yellow Vest movement. From policing strategies to the weapons employed and access to justice, Amnesty International France is working on policing and policing of assemblies to call on France to respect human rights and the right to peacefully protest.

• This event is sponsored by The Department of French Studies & Modern Languages
• Contact Anne-Marie Picard (apicardaup.edu) for more info.

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