Council of Europe slams ‘excessive use of force’ by French police

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – The Council of Europe on Friday slammed “excessive use of force” by French police in demonstrations against the controversial pension reform.

Violent incidents, some of which have targeted law enforcement agencies, cannot justify the excessive use of force by state authorities, said its commissioner for human rights Dunja Mijatovic said.

Nor are these acts sufficient to deprive peaceful protesters to use their right of freedom of assembly, she added.

Mijatovic called on French authorities to respect the right to demonstrate and protect protesters, as well as journalists following the demonstrations.

France has been facing non-stop demonstrations since President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne decision to invoke Article 49.3 of the Constitution, a mechanism that lets the government adopt a draft bill without parliamentary approval, to push through the pension overhaul legislation.

The reform includes raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030, requiring at least 43 years of work to be eligible for a full pension.