Police in France faced criticism on Monday after a video of officers spraying tear gas on climate protesters staging a sit-in on a bridge emerged online, prompting the French interior minister to call for an investigation.

The protest over the French government's environment policies was held by members of the Extinction Rebellion group at the Pont de Sully bridge during sweltering heat on Friday.

A video shared on Twitter and since widely broadcast on news channels shows a group of protesters sitting on the ground with their arms linked and heads bowed after they had refused orders to vacate the bridge.

When they refuse to move, officers spray them with hand-held teargas canisters, while the demonstrators try to protect their faces. The video shows one officer forcibly remove a protester's protective goggles and sunglasses.

The officers are then seen dragging the protesters off the street one by one.

A police officer at the scene estimated about 90 protesters had taken part, while Extinction Rebellion put the number at 200, the Guardian reported.

Read more: Extinction Rebellion: The activists risking prison to save the planet

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner ordered an investigation into the incident.

The riot police and the police chief have been asked to submit a report on the "modalities" leading up to the evacuation of the demonstrators "in order to restore traffic” in the center of Paris.

Castaner said that the French riot police used loudspeakers to ask the protesters to move. He added that the "very radical” demonstrators refused the order, and the riot police had no choice but to remove them one by one.

Read more: Climate research on the high, warming seas

France's Environment Minister Francois de Rugy told Radio France International (RFI) that he had watched a video of the incident and the use of tear gas was justified.

Barbara Pompili, a member of the ruling La Republique en Marche, said she was "shocked" by the images and hoped the investigation would "shed light on what happened," RFI reported.

The Paris police department said the officers had intervened to stop the protesters from blocking traffic and that the demonstrators had been ordered "several times" to move. It said two people were arrested.

The video received condemnation both in France and abroad, with Sweden's teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeting a link to the video with the words: "Watch this video and ask yourself; who is defending who?"

The Extinction Rebellion group first launched in Britain and organizes acts of civil disobedience to draw attention to climate issues.

Last month, the group took part in the blockade of an open-pit coal mine in Germany and protests held in London in May brought parts of the British capital to a standstill.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it direDW Newsletter Registrationctly here. </s> France’s interior minister has asked the Paris police chief to explain a controversial riot police operation to remove climate activists from a bridge, after a video of officers using pepper spray and dragging protesters went viral on social media.

The interior ministry said the police operation to clear the demonstrators was “necessary to restore traffic circulation in the centre of Paris”.

Protesters from Extinction Rebellion, a civil disobedience movement that began in Britain, blocked traffic on the Pont de Sully in the centre of the city on Friday, as Paris sweltered in a record-breaking heatwave that many blame on global heating.

French police used riot shields and pepper spray to clear scores of climate activists who were seated, cross-legged, blocking the bridge over the Seine. A journalist’s video showing police spraying the demonstrators in the face caused outrage on social media.

A police officer at the scene estimated about 90 protesters had taken part, while Extinction Rebellion put the number at 200. Two people were briefly detained but no arrests were made, protesters said.

“We are trying to make people aware of the ecological problems that are a symptom of the system,” said Sophia Karpenko, a French neuroscientist and spokeswoman with Extinction Rebellion.

Extinction Rebellion describes itself as a non-violent direct-action group. It has carried out a number of high-profile protests in London, including disrupting road and rail travel as part of its efforts to raise awareness of climate change.

The French environment minister, François de Rugy, told French TV the protesters were “radicals” offering no solutions on cutting emissions. He said that when they had refused to move, riot police had had no choice but to remove them one by one.

This week, an independent report found France was falling behind on tackling the climate emergency and failing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, despite ambitious promises. </s> Interior Minister Christophe Castaner on Sunday ordered an investigation into the incident during a protest by the Extinction Rebellion group on Friday over the government's environment policies, which took place in the middle of a heatwave.

A video shared on Twitter and since widely broadcast on news channels shows a police officer yelling "clear off" at a group of protesters sitting on the ground with their arms linked and heads bowed after they had refused orders to vacate the bridge.

When they refuse to budge, at least two officers spray them with hand-held teargas cannisters at point-blank range, while the demonstrators try to shield their faces, boo the police and shout "non-violent!".

The officers are then seen dragging the protesters off the street one by one.

One protester, who gave her name as Flora, told AFP that the police used tear gas after some protesters that had been dragged away returned to the sit-in.

"They opted for a strategy of gassing people 20 centimetres from their faces," she said.

The Paris police department said the officers had intervened to stop the protesters blocking traffic and that the demonstrators had been ordered "several times" to disperse. It said two people were arrested.

Images of the standoff caused an outcry both at home and abroad with Sweden's teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeting a link to the video with the words: "Watch this video and ask yourself; who is defending who?"

In a further sign of how climate activists are increasingly turning to direct action, Greenpeace activists have been blocking the unloading of a Brazilian soy shipment in the southern French port of Sete.

On Monday, five of the activists -- who blame soybean production for deforestation -- were forcibly removed from the cranes to which they had chained themselves.

Launched in Britain, the "Extinction Rebellion" group uses acts of civil disobedience to draw attention to climate warming. Last month the group took part in the blockade of an open-pit coal mine in Germany.

Several French politicians condemned the treatment of the protesters in Paris.

Eric Coquerel, a lawmaker for the hard-left France Unbowed party, described the images as "shocking".

"It's inadmissible to use teargas like that," he told BFM news channel, accusing the authorities of using disproportionate force.

Socialist leader Olivier Faure in a tweet said that the activists should have been sprayed with "water bombs" and not teargas in a week when temperatures hit record highs in France.

"That would not happen in a dictatorship and it's happening in France," he added.

Environment Minister Francois de Rugy was accused of adding to the controversy by characterising the activists in a TV interview Sunday as "very radical" and justifying the use of the teargas "which aims to get people to leave" the area.

But there was disquiet among some members of Macron's centrist Republic on the Move party with MP Barbara Pompili telling France 2 television she was "like everyone, quite shocked at tear gas being sprayed very close to people's eyes".

Over the past year President Emmanuel Macron has come under growing criticism over what activists see as his failure to keep a 2017 promise to "make our planet great again".

French police have also been heavily criticised for their tactics during six months of weekly protests by anti-government "yellow vest" demonstrators.

Police have been unable to stop crowds ransacking buildings and businesses, while they have also been blamed for a spate of serious injuries caused by law-enforcement weapons such as rubber bullets and stun grenades. </s> PARIS: French police drew heavy criticism on Monday after officers were filmed spraying peaceful climate activists in the face with teargas during a Paris sit-in last week.



Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has ordered an investigation into the incident which took place on Friday during a protest by the "Extinction Rebellion" group over the government´s environment policies.

A video shared on Twitter and since widely broadcast on news channels shows at least two officers spraying protesters with teargas at close range, while the demonstrators try to shield their faces, boo the police and shout "non-violent!"

The officers are then seen dragging the protesters away one by one.

On Monday, the Paris prosecutor launched a preliminary probe that was to be handled by the police department´s internal investigation unit, the IGPN.

A demonstrator who gave her name as Flora told AFP the police used teargas after some protesters who had earlier been forcibly removed from the sit-in returned to the scene.

"They opted for a strategy of gassing people 20 centimetres (eight inches) from their faces," she said.

The Paris police department said officers had intervened to stop the protesters blocking traffic and that the demonstrators had been ordered "several times" to disperse. It said two people were arrested.

Images of the standoff caused an outcry both at home and abroad, with Sweden´s teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeting a link to the video with the words: "Watch this video and ask yourself; who is defending who?"

Launched in Britain, Extinction Rebellion organises acts of civil disobedience to draw attention to climate warming. Last month the group took part in the blockade of an open-pit coal mine in Germany.

Several French politicians condemned the treatment of the protesters in Paris.

"It´s outrageous to have young people who are fighting for our climate, who are fighting for our future... and the government´s only reaction is to not act and to teargas them," Yannick Jadot, a Greens member of the European Parliament, told BFM news channel.

Socialist leader Olivier Faure said "that would not happen in a dictatorship and it´s happening in France."

But Environment Minister Francois de Rugy, himself a former environmental activist, described the protesters as "very radical" and justified the use of the teargas "to get people to leave" the area.

There was also disquiet among some members of President Emmanuel Macron´s centrist Republic on the Move party with MP Barbara Pompili telling France 2 television she was "like everyone, quite shocked at teargas being sprayed very close to people´s eyes".

Over the past year, Macron has come under growing criticism over what activists see as his failure to keep a 2017 promise to "make our planet great again".



The French police have also been heavily criticised for their tactics during six months of weekly protests by anti-government "yellow vest" demonstrators.

Officers have been unable to stop crowds ransacking buildings and businesses while themselves drawing blame for a spate of serious injuries caused by their use of rubber bullets and stun grenades.

French law enforcement is also under investigation over the disappearance of a 24-year-old man in the western city of Nantes on June 21, World Music Day.

Steve Maia Canico went missing during a rave on an island in the Loire river that was broken up by the police with teargas following clashes with some of the revellers.

Several people who fell into the river during the melee were brought to safety but Maia Canico was never found. A march in his memory on Saturday in Nantes drew around 1,000 demonstrators.

In a further sign of how climate activists are increasingly turning to direct action, Greenpeace activists have been blocking the unloading of a Brazilian soy shipment in the southern French port of Sete.

On Monday, five of the activists -- who blame soybean production for deforestation -- were forcibly removed from the cranes to which they had chained themselves. </s> "They opted for a strategy of gassing people 20 centimeters from their faces," said an activist named Flora.

French police drew heavy criticism on Monday after officers were filmed spraying peaceful climate activists in the face with teargas during a sit-in on a bridge in Paris last week.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has ordered an investigation into the incident which ocurred on Friday during a protest by the "Extinction Rebellion" group over the government's environment policies.

A video shared on Twitter, and since widely broadcast on news channels, shows at least two officers spraying protesters at close range with cans of teargas while the demonstrators try to shield their faces, boo the police and shout "non-violent!"

The officers are then seen dragging the protesters off the street one by one.​​​​​​​ One demonstrator, who gave her name as Flora, told AFP that the police used teargas after some protesters that had earlier been forcibly removed from the sit-in returned to the scene.

The Paris police department said the officers had intervened to stop the protesters blocking traffic and that the demonstrators had been ordered "several times" to disperse, informing two people were arrested.

Images of the standoff caused an outcry both in France and abroad with Sweden's teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeting a link to the video with the words: "Watch this video and ask yourself; who is defending who?"

"It's outrageous to have young people who are fighting for our climate, who are fighting for our future... and the government's only reaction is to not act and to teargas them," Yannick Jadot, a Green member of the European Parliament, told BFM news channel. Several left-wing French politicians condemned the treatment of the protesters in Paris.

Socialist leader Olivier Faure said, "that would not happen in a dictatorship and it's happening in France." Over the past year, Macron has come under growing criticism over what activists see as his failure to keep a 2017 promise to "make our planet great again."​​​​​​​

There was also disquiet among some members of President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Republic on the Move party with MP Barbara Pompili telling France 2 television she "like everyone, quite shocked at teargas being sprayed very close to people's eyes".

Launched in Britain, Extinction Rebellion organizes acts of civil disobedience to draw attention to climate warming. Last month the group took part in the blockade of an open-pit coal mine in Germany.​​​​​​​

French police have also been heavily criticized for their tactics during six months of weekly protests by anti-government "yellow vest" demonstrators.​​​​​​​ Officers have been blamed for a spate of serious injuries and even hand or eye mutilations caused by their use of rubber bullets and stun grenades.

French law enforcement is also under investigation over the disappearance of a 24-year-old man in the western city of Nantes on June 21, World Music Day.​​​​​​​

Steve Maia Canico went missing while taking part in a rave on an island in the Loire river that was broken up by the police using teargas following clashes with some of the revelers.

Several people who fell into the river during the melee were brought to safety but Maia Canico was never found. A march in his memory on Saturday in Nantes drew around 1,000 demonstrators. </s> The French police drew heavy criticism on Monday after officers were filmed spraying peaceful climate activists in the face with teargas during a sit-in on a bridge in Paris last week

Paris, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 1st Jul, 2019 ) :The French police drew heavy criticism on Monday after officers were filmed spraying peaceful climate activists in the face with teargas during a sit-in on a bridge in Paris last week.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner on Sunday ordered an investigation into the incident during a protest by the Extinction Rebellion group on Friday over the government's environment policies, which took place in the middle of a heatwave.

A video shared on Twitter and since widely broadcast on news channels shows a police officer yelling "clear off" at a group of protesters sitting on the ground with their arms linked and heads bowed after they had refused orders to vacate the bridge.

When they refuse to budge, at least two officers spray them with hand-held teargas cannisters at point-blank range, while the demonstrators try to shield their faces, boo the police and shout "non-violent!".

The officers are then seen dragging the protesters off the street one by one.

One protester, who gave her name as Flora, told AFP that the police used tear gas after some protesters that had been dragged away returned to the sit-in.

"They opted for a strategy of gassing people 20 centimetres from their faces," she said.

The Paris police department said the officers had intervened to stop the protesters blocking traffic and that the demonstrators had been ordered "several times" to disperse. It said two people were arrested.

Images of the standoff caused an outcry both at home and abroad with Sweden's teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeting a link to the video with the words: "Watch this video and ask yourself; who is defending who?"In a further sign of how climate activists are increasingly turning to direct action, Greenpeace activists have been blocking the unloading of a Brazilian soy shipment in the southern French port of Sete.

On Monday, five of the activists -- who blame soybean production for deforestation -- were forcibly removed from the cranes to which they had chained themselves. </s> PARIS (Reuters) - French prosecutors said on Monday they had opened a preliminary investigation after police used riot shields and pepper spray to clear scores of climate activists blocking a bridge over the Seine in Paris last week.

The probe is to be carried out by the national police force’s internal inspectors, prosecutors said.

The government is facing criticism for the heavy-handed break-up of the sit-in by protesters from Extinction Rebellion, a civil disobedience movement that began in Britain.

The protesters had blocked traffic on Friday on the Pont de Sully bridge in the center of the city in the latest example of a surge of climate activism across northern and western Europe.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner called on Monday for light to be shed on the incident after images emerged on social media of riot police dousing protesters with pepper spray and dragging them away.

Extinction Rebellion describes itself as a non-violent direct-action group. It has carried out a number of high-profile protests in London, including disrupting road and rail travel as part of its efforts to raise awareness of climate change.

In March, tens of thousands of climate activists marched through Paris. Since late last year, France has also been coping with large and sometimes violent demonstrations by the “Yellow Vests”, a social movement opposed to President Emmanuel Macron. </s> This article is more than 2 months old

This article is more than 2 months old

France’s interior minister has asked the Paris police chief to explain a controversial riot police operation to remove climate activists from a bridge, after a video of officers using pepper spray and dragging protesters went viral on social media.

The interior ministry said the police operation to clear the demonstrators was “necessary to restore traffic circulation in the centre of Paris”.

Protesters from Extinction Rebellion, a civil disobedience movement that began in Britain, blocked traffic on the Pont de Sully in the centre of the city on Friday, as Paris sweltered in a record-breaking heatwave that many blame on global heating.

Clément Lanot (@ClementLanot) PARIS - Intervention des CRS qui utilisent des gazeuses pour tenter de déloger les militants.



Plusieurs journalistes ont été empêcher de filmer. pic.twitter.com/XzwTCTYyJE

French police used riot shields and pepper spray to clear scores of climate activists who were seated, cross-legged, blocking the bridge over the Seine. A journalist’s video showing police spraying the demonstrators in the face caused outrage on social media.

A police officer at the scene estimated about 90 protesters had taken part, while Extinction Rebellion put the number at 200. Two people were briefly detained but no arrests were made, protesters said.

Q&A What is Extinction Rebellion? Show Hide Extinction Rebellion is a protest group that uses non-violent civil disobedience to campaign on environmental issues. Launched in October 2018, with an assembly at Parliament Square to announce a 'declaration of rebellion' against the UK Government, the group has staged regular demonstrations against current environmental policies. More than 1,000 activists were arrested in April 2019 after protesters occupied four sites across London, as well as blocking roads, disrupting a railway line and conducting a protest at Heathrow. Other demonstrations have included a semi-naked protest inside the House of Commons and blockading streets in London, Cardiff, Leeds, Bristol and Glasgow. The group says climate breakdown threatens all life on Earth, and so it is rebelling against politicians who “have failed us”, to provoke radical change that will stave off a climate emergency. The movement has become global with groups set up in countries include the US, Spain, Australia, South Africa and India. Martin Belam Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Anadolu

“We are trying to make people aware of the ecological problems that are a symptom of the system,” said Sophia Karpenko, a French neuroscientist and spokeswoman with Extinction Rebellion.

Extinction Rebellion describes itself as a non-violent direct-action group. It has carried out a number of high-profile protests in London, including disrupting road and rail travel as part of its efforts to raise awareness of climate change.

The French environment minister, François de Rugy, told French TV the protesters were “radicals” offering no solutions on cutting emissions. He said that when they had refused to move, riot police had had no choice but to remove them one by one.

This week, an independent report found France was falling behind on tackling the climate emergency and failing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, despite ambitious promises. </s> Images of French police pepper-spraying climate protesters in Paris last Friday have gone viral and sparked outrage around the world. The demonstration was held by Extinction Rebellion, a movement that began in the UK last year but has since expanded around the globe.

The movement was officially launched in October 31, 2018, when around a 1,000 people protested outside the UK parliament in what organisers said was a “Declaration of Rebellion”.

It was started by activists from the campaign group Rising Up! while almost 100 senior academics from across the UK gave their backing, saying in an open letter it was “unconscionable to us that our children and grandchildren should have to bear the terrifying brunt of an unprecedented disaster of our own making”.

To avoid that scenario, the group has three core demands: that governments “tell the truth” about climate change by declaring environmental emergencies and conveying the urgency of the situation to the public, that they commit to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and that ‘citizens’ assemblies’ are set up to oversee climate change policy.

Its methods though have at times proved controversial. The group follows a strategy of civil disobedience and direct action, including staging sit-ins and disrupting public spaces such as roads and bridges. Hundreds of its members have been arrested in the process.

Activists have also caused damage to property, including smashing windows, something the group calls an “escalation strategy, necessary to grab public attention

The group’s headline-grabbing tactics have helped it become a major protest movement in the UK, with 130 Extinction Rebellion groups across the country.

In April this year, it held one of its biggest demonstrations yet, occupying parts of central London for 11 consecutive days.

Extinction Rebellion groups have now sprung up around the world from Australia to the United States.

It now has more than a million members worldwide including more than 4,000 in France.
France's interior minister, Christophe Castaner, has asked the Paris police chief to provide explanations about a video that went viral on social media, where law enforcement officers are seen spraying with pepper spray and dragging protesters from the Extinction Rebellion anti-climate change movement. Although the police needed to evict the protesters, who obstructed a transit route, the mechanisms that they used generated negative reactions.