The cell phone footage is shaky, but it’s undeniable. A slim teenager sits under the harsh fluorescent lights of a police station on the outskirts of Paris.
Towering above him was a city police officer in a dark blue uniform, his massive body accentuated by a bulletproof vest.
The officer taunted and threatened the boy, grabbed him by the collar, yanked him to the side of the bench and hit him hard on the head.
He is only 14 years old.
While shocking, this was not the worst abuse this minor suffered on March 17 last year.
The officer, identified as Cédric G, allegedly urinated on him and one of his two 16-year-old friends that night, after arresting the trio for violating curfew rules effective during the coronavirus pandemic.
Also present at the scene was local police chief Yohan C, who allegedly told one of the 16-year-olds: “Since there’s a tree and you’re Black, you can climb the tree.”
media investigation
The case, recently revealed by French news site Mediapart, is the latest in a long string of police abuses that have come to light in France in recent times, often targeting Black men. and Saudi Arabia, demonstrating what human rights groups call systemic brutality and racism. security forces.
Despite being fired by the city of Saint-Ouen last July, both Cédric G and Yohan C later found municipal jobs elsewhere in the Paris area.
And, while Cédric G – still active as a police officer – faces prosecution in Bobigny court on December 15, his former boss appears to have escaped out of sight.
“Police officers know they are protected,” said Omer Mas Capitolin, founder of the Development Aid Community House, one of six NGOs that last year brought a class-action lawsuit against French government for the systematic discrimination of police officers when conducting identity checks.
“Instances like this are very common. Usually people don’t speak up because it’s too humiliating,” he told Al Jazeera. “But those boys were lucky.”
As it turned out, the brother of one of the victims, a crime-fighting agent with the national police force, immediately complained to the city government. But it is still their word against the word of sworn police officers.
Protracted rejections
Faced with a barrage of denials that the violence took place, supported by a bland police report of supposedly periodic ID checks being carried out into the night, the case may have fallen apart. if important video evidence does not come to light.
But even when lies and cover-ups are exposed, justice is far from done.
According to Mediapart, investigators were denied security camera footage from the site where the boys were being held and were said to be handcuffed and beaten, with the control center claiming the footage had been deleted.
Cell phone footage from the station, taken by an officer identified as David L, then came to light.
Faced with irrefutable evidence of his abuse, Cédric G dismissed his actions as some sort of “slap”, claiming that the 14-year-old had insulted him.
According to the testimony of three police officers, Yohan C seemed to express “proud” when presented with video evidence.
The city government acted on the evidence and both officers were briefly fired. But despite their repeated acts of bad faith, the allegation that Cédric G urinated on the boys cannot be accepted any further.
This police officer has claimed that he suffers from a prostate problem, simply “cutting off his penis” to lessen the need to urinate, a claim supported by Yohan C and five. Other officers were present at the scene, whose statements proved unreliable. to say the least.
Despite his alleged condition, Cédric G was unable to produce a medical certificate to substantiate his claim.
A city spokesman told Al Jazeera that tests of clothing provided by one of the victims as evidence came back negative.
“In fact, the investigation did not prove urination. Without proof it is difficult. That’s why we recognized the intent to humiliate in the investigation, but… no urine.”
Karim Bouamrane, the town’s Socialist Party mayor, elected in 2020, is trying to create an “ethical police force focused on prevention rather than suppression”, he said. “It’s a project close to his heart.”
‘Indecent exposure’
The city is assisting the victims at the upcoming hearing and is expected to cover their legal fees.
However, according to city guidelines, prosecutors at Bobigny court also avoided investigating allegations that Cédric G urinated on the victim.
While the officer is being tried for “indecent contact” and “intentional violence by a person in a public position”, he will not be considered further for the most serious charge.
Kathleen Taieb, the lawyer representing the 14-year-old boy, accused the court of regularly failing to show solidarity with victims of police abuse.
Mas Capitolin said: “The policeman’s words are always stronger than the victim’s. “The French government does everything to deny the systemic nature of the problem. Black and Arab youth are a daily target. They are not considered official French citizens. There is a political will to stigmatize an entire section of the population.”
Abdoulaye Kanté, author of Policier, enfant de la République, a book detailing his long career as a Black police officer, facing discrimination from colleagues and accusations of betrayal from his community, said the authorities were still “catching up” when it came to tackling racism.
“It’s completely unacceptable,” he told Al Jazeera. “The day you put on the uniform, you are serving the citizens. It is our job to serve the citizens. If a colleague abuses, they must report it. If they are not denounced, we become complicit.”
“We must not stop dealing with racist behavior,” he said. “Strong measures need to be taken.”
