'Worrying message to send': France passes bill restricting publication of image of police

Despite the demonstrations against the controversial security bill, the French lawmakers on November 24 reportedly passed the legislation that according to the critics would make it harder for journalists and even human rights advocates to hold the law enforcement in the country accountable.  The Global Security Bill’s controversial section Article 24, prohibits the publication of the images that allow the identification of a police officer “with the intent to cause them harm, physically or mentally”

While French lawmakers have approved the bill with Prime Minister Jean Castex saying that it should not “prejudice the legitimate interest of the public to be informed”, critics think it has a “worrying message to send”. In a statement to CNN, the president of Amnesty International France, Cecile Coudriou said that “if people cannot film anything” on the streets especially when the law enforcement officers might have used some kind of illegal force, it would send off a “very worrying” message. 

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As Amnesty France further denounces the “attacks on freedom” and the privacy of citizens, Coudriou explained that it is a right in “every democracy” to film the police officers. She also reportedly mentioned that French lawmakers, on one hand, ask the citizens to accept the possibility of being filmed but police refuse to do the same. 

Meanwhile, the veteran journalist appointed as this year’s Defender of Human Rights in France, Claire Hedon told a French broadcast that passing the Global Security Bill is a step in the right direction but  also cautioned that in nation’s legislative arsenal, “there already exists the possibility to punish anyone who uses, in an ill-intentioned way, the videos that they publish.”

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Mass protests in France against New Security Bill 

The Global Security Bill was passed on Tuesday after thousands of people demonstrated against the same in Paris along with other cities on November 21. As per reports, protestors gathered on the Esplanade of Human Rights at the Trocadero to demand scarpping of the new security bill that would make it a crime to circulate an image of a police officer’s face. The protestors carried placards and chanted 'Liberty!' and 'No to the police state' during the protests.

Under the draft law put forth by President Emmanuel Macron in the French Parliament, which is now passed, it said that sharing images of on-duty police with the aim of harming their 'physical or psychological integrity' will be punishable with up to a year in prison and a maximum of 45,000-euro (approximately $53,360) fine. Further, the bill makes it mandatory to blur the faces of police officials while using their images by any journalists or civilians.

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