Two police were brutally beaten by a mob of youths in a Paris suburb on New Year’s Eve. A video of the bashing of one officer has since gone viral, prompting national outrage.
The footage captures some of the moments when rampaging youths beat and kicked a policewomen as she lay on the ground trying to protect her head.
Not featured in the video was her police captain, who was beaten as well. He managed to pull his pistol out but did not fire his weapon, reported The Sun citing a source.
“The captain had tried to defend the pair using a tear gas canister, but was badly beaten up,” said the source.
“At one stage he produced his service weapon, but did not get a shot off. The female officer has been written off work for at least a week, while the captain will be off for at least 10 days,” the source said.
Sur cette vidéo, une policière rouée de coup. Selon les commentaires, ça c’est passé hier soir à Champigny: pic.twitter.com/iu2YU34f4Q
— Damien Rieu (@DamienRieu) January 1, 2018
The Sun reported that the two officers were called to the scene to investigate reports that a mob were causing largescale disorder outside a New Year’s Eve party.
Some of the video footage shows large numbers of youths overturning and trashing a car during the incident that occurred in Champigny-sur-Marne, a commune in the south east of the French capital.
The video has upset many across France, including country’s leader, President Emmanuel Macron, who via Twitter pledged to bring the culprits to justice.
Referring to those guilty of the “cowardly and criminal lynching of police doing their duty,” Macron warned that “the culprit will be found and arrested,” reported AFP.
Nouvelle vidéo de l’attaque de la policière hier soir à #Champigny. Nos policiers se font victimiser par les racailles… pic.twitter.com/dJSth4Jdjz
— Damien Rieu (@DamienRieu) January 1, 2018
Fox News reported that French interior minister Gerard Collomb has spoken with the police officers who were assaulted.
“Everything is done to ensure that the cowardly perpetrators of these unspeakable acts are apprehended and sentenced. To attack our security forces is to attack our Republic,” said Collomb.
According to AFP, France saw a jump in arrests this New Year’s Eve plus an increase in the numbers of vehicles torched by mobs, which sadly has become somewhat of a ritual in some high-rise suburbs of French cities. Over 1,000 cars were set alight this New Year’s Eve.
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