Tag: France

  • France shocked by way of video of woman being slapped by harasser

    Screen grab from cafe in Boulevard de la Villette Symbol copyright Marie Laguerre/Cafe video Symbol caption The Person walked against the scholar and used to be captured placing her at the cafe’s video

    A French scholar has spoken out after she used to be confused in a Paris street and then hit within the face while she instructed him to stop.

    Marie Laguerre shared CCTV video of the person slapping her outside a restaurant in the north-east of the capital.

    The video has long gone viral and coincides with a central authority push to impose on-the-spot fines for side road harassment.

    “the first fines should be passed out this autumn,” mentioned Equalities Minister Marlène Schiappa.

    Offenders will have to pay between €NINETY (£EIGHTY; $105) and €750 beneath a package deal of measures that was backed by way of French MPs in Might and is about to complete its passage thru parliament this week.

    “It wasn’t the primary time – that day, that week, or that month, It had been increase. I got angry and stated ‘shut up’. i did not suppose he’d listen, but he did,” she told French TV.

    At that point the person changed into angry and threw an ashtray, missing her by means of inches, she introduced.

    After replacing insults, the person walked towards her and was captured placing her on the cafe’s video.

    “i know he is going to hit me. i’ll have run off but there was no question of that. I wasn’t going to look down and positively wasn’t going to apologise,” she stated. He hit her forcefully on the cheek and endured shouting at her.

    While folks sitting in the cafe remonstrated with the man, she went home however temporarily made up our minds to go again to the cafe to take witness statements and bitch to the police.

    Everybody at the cafe had discovered her response normal, she said, and the owner gave her the video to assist seize the attacker. It has now been considered greater than 900,000 times.

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  • Macron aide: French police raid disgraced Benalla’s administrative center

    Symbol copyright Reuters Image caption Mr Benalla and Mr Macron pictured in combination on Bastille Day this month

    “the one individual chargeable for this affair is me,” he stated. “If they are on the lookout for any individual to carry responsible, he is proper in front of you. they are able to come and get me.”

    Lawmakers have been not easy to understand why the presidency didn’t act quicker because the inner minister admitted he knew of the video on 2 Would Possibly.

    Mr Macron again criticised participants of the media on Wednesday, telling journalists from shops: “you’ve been saying a whole lot of nonsense over the previous few days.”

    Dismissive of the fourth estate

    By Lucy Williamson, BBC Paris correspondent

    Emmanuel Macron has been cautious of the media ever on account that he entered the Elysée Palace.

    His tightly managed operation may not stand for the kind of grubby insights given away through his predecessor, as an alternative preferring a more faraway, virtually regal symbol for the president, above the fray of media scrabble.

    But hardly has this champion of democratic values been so overtly dismissive of the fourth estate.

    The heavy-passed actions of Alexandre Benalla have turned up the heat on President Macron, because Le Monde published a video final week appearing the presidential bodyguard impersonating a police officer all over Might Day demonstrations, hauling off one protestor and beating every other one.

    Mr Benalla has considering the fact that been fired, however the scandal over his preliminary – allegedly lenient – treatment through the Elysée precipitated parliament to break its customary deliberations this week, and has led to the conservative opposition calling for a vote of no trust within the government.

    Its impact – a few are even calling it France’s Watergate – turns out overblown, most likely inflated by means of a dearth of stories prior to the summer season holiday, however Mr Macron’s obvious anger at being focused like this says as much about his sort of management because the media itself.

    Mr Macron pushed aside Mr Benalla from his position as assistant to the French president’s leader of workforce on Friday.

    On Sunday, charges were introduced in opposition to Mr Benalla, who’s accused of attack with an partner, interfering in police paintings, impersonating a police officer and illegally receiving surveillance footage.

    On Monday, the president’s most sensible bodyguard throughout closing year’s election marketing campaign defended his actions, claiming that he was once “lending a hand” to the rebellion officers at the scene after he was “invited to observe” their operations.

    He believes his behaviour was being exploited for “media and political ends”, his attorneys stated.

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  • Macron aide Alexandre Benalla charged after protesters beaten

    Symbol copyright Reuters Image caption Mr Macron and Mr Benalla (L) pictured together in July

    In May, a few days after the incident, he was given a two-week suspension, but not anything was pronounced to prosecutors.

    The BBC’s Hugh Schofield in Paris says this suggests that Mr Macron’s place of business can have already been conscious about his actions.

    What happened on Might Day?

    The incident happened in a well-liked tourist spot in Paris’s Latin Quarter the place about 100 other folks had gathered.

    The authentic video displays a man dressed in a police helmet, but no longer in uniform, joining CRS rebellion police after clashes erupted.

    Symbol Copyright @T_Bouhafs @T_Bouhafs

    He grabs a lady by the neck, dragging her down the road, sooner than each disappear off camera.

    Shortly afterwards he returns to the scene, attacking another protester who were carried a short distance via police earlier than being left alone on the floor.

    The guy in the helmet will also be seen grabbing the younger protester across the neck, hitting him on the head and it seems that stamping on his abdomen while he falls to the ground.

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  • Macron aide Alexandre Benalla to be disregarded after protesters beaten

    A pixelated image shows a bearded man wearing a hoodie and a riot police helmet grabbing a protester by the neck Image copyright TAHA BOUHAFS Image caption Pictures show a person in a police helmet who’s now not in uniform joining CRS rebel police

    A senior French presidential aide is to be pushed aside from his process, officials say, after photos emerged of protesters in Paris being attacked through a person dressed in a police visor.

    The motion towards Alexandre Benalla was once taken after “new information” emerged in the case, French President Emmanuel Macron’s place of work mentioned on Friday.

    Mr Benalla is being questioned over the footage of the May Day protests.

    There have been calls for him to be sacked after he was once known in a newspaper.

    Police are questioning Mr Benalla, an assistant to Mr Macron’s leader of workforce, over pictures filmed via a scholar activist showing a woman and a man being crushed in the course of the demonstrations on 1 Would Possibly.

    He grabs a woman through the neck, charging her down the road, before both disappear off camera.

    Shortly afterwards he returns to the scene, attacking every other protester who had been carried a short distance via police before being left alone on the ground.

    The man within the helmet may also be noticed grabbing the young protester around the neck, hitting him in the head and it sounds as if stamping on his stomach whilst he falls to the ground.

    Who is Alexandre Benalla?

    Mr Benalla’s major responsibility used to be to organize safety for the president’s engagements.

    Before he joined the presidential staff he had the role of head of safety right through Mr Macron’s election marketing campaign in 2017.

    Symbol copyright EPA Symbol caption Mr Macron and Mr Benalla in May 2017, whilst Mr Benalla was once head of the candidate’s security

    In that position, he was a relentless companion to the longer term president, and archive photographs show the two men in combination at many top-profile public events.

    Formerly an worker of a private security company, Mr Benalla had worked with other French politicians in the previous – together with prime Socialist Martine Aubry and Mr Macron’s predecessor in the Elysée, François Hollande.

    In 2012, he used to be employed as a driving force for Trade Minister Arnaud Montebourg.

    Mr Montebourg informed Le Monde that Mr Benalla used to be fired for misconduct after inflicting a automobile accident within the minister’s presence and desirous to flee the scene.

  • Trevor Noah defends ‘Africa won the arena Cup’ shaggy dog story

    Paul Pogba of France celebrates with the World Cup Trophy following his sides victory in the 2018 Fifa World Cup Final between France and Croatia at Luzhniki Stadium on 15 July 2018 in Moscow, Russia Symbol copyright Getty Pictures Image caption Paul Pogba, whose oldsters are from Guinea, scored for France within the ultimate

    US-based totally South African comic Trevor Noah has defended himself after being criticised by a French diplomat for announcing “Africa won the sector Cup”.

    The Daily Show host made the feedback on his satirical show a day after France beat Croatia to win football’s most coveted prize on Sunday.

    More than half of the French squad can trace their historical past again to Africa.

    The French ambassador to the united states mentioned the comedian was denying their “Frenchness” by way of calling them African.

    “This, even in jest, legitimises the ideology which claims whiteness because the handiest definition of being French,” Gérard Araud stated in a stern letter to Noah.

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    The feud comes after Khaled Beydoun, a US creator on Islamophobia, referred to as in a Twitter put up for “justice” for Africans and Muslims in France as a result of they “brought you a 2d World Cup”.

    The tweet was once extensively shared and garnered complaint and praise. Some were involved it could abate race members of the family in a rustic that had witnessed its political discourse develop into inflamed following a migration difficulty and a number of terrorist assaults.

    In Advance within the week, Noah had also published to his Instagram account a cartoon by M Rifai appearing a ship full of migrants handing the world Cup trophy to France.

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    Paintings by way of M.Rifaï

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    Instagram post by trevornoah: Artwork by M.Rifaï Symbol Copyright trevornoah trevornoah

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    In his letter, Mr Araud stressed that the avid gamers “rich and varied backgrounds is a mirrored image of France’s variety”, to which Mr Noah answered: “Now I’m no longer seeking to be an asshole but i feel it is extra of a reflection of France’s colonialism.”

    France’s founding principles and common values approach it does not acquire data or statistics on its racial, ethnic or religious backgrounds.

    The ambassador pointed to this, saying: “Not Like the U.s.a. of The Usa, France does not consult with its voters based on their race, faith or origin.”

    Mr Noah mentioned the color-blind way has now not stopped discrimination in opposition to African migrants.

    “when they are unemployed, once they may devote a criminal offense or while they’re considered unsavoury – it’s the African immigrants,” Mr Noah mentioned.

    “Whilst their youngsters go on to provide a global Cup victory to France, we should simplest discuss with them as French.”

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    Media captionMacron dabs with French gamers

    Mr Noah improved at the idea, using as an instance Malian migrant of Mamoudou Gassama, who used to be not too long ago given French citizenship after mountain climbing a construction to rescue a kid dangling from a balcony.

    “They stated, ‘You are now French.’ So now I Am going, ‘Is he now no longer African?’” Mr Noah asked.

    Former US President Barack Obama has also waded into the talk concerning the identification of the French football squad.

    During his Nelson Mandela lecture in Johannesburg in advance this week, he pointed to the positive side of immigration: “Simply have a look at the French football crew. Not all of these other folks gave the look of Gauls to me, however they’re French – they are French.”

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  • Macron aide Benalla in French probe for beating protester

    Alexandre Benalla acted as security guard for Emmanuel Macron during his presidential campaign Image copyright Getty Images Symbol caption Alexandre Benalla (R) played a number one safety role throughout Emmanuel Macron’s presidential campaign

    French prosecutors are investigating a senior presidential aide, who attacked protesters in Paris at the same time as wearing a police visor.

    Alexandre Benalla, an assistant to President Emmanuel Macron’s chief of body of workers, used to be filmed targeting a girl and a person throughout Might Day protests.

    He was once stuck on video by way of a student activist and left the scene as soon as challenged on camera.

    He was once recognized from the video by way of French newspaper Le Monde.

    The incident happened in a popular vacationer spot at Place de l. a. Contrescarpe within the fifth district of Paris.

    it is not clear if Mr Benalla was attending the disturbance in any roughly respectable capability. Different photographs show him wearing a police armband.

    Elysée palace spokesman Bruno Roger-Petit mentioned Mr Benalla were suspended for 2 weeks with out pay from FOUR to 19 Would Possibly, a punishment defined as the heaviest up to now meted out to a head of venture working on the presidential office.

    He had also been moved out of his function of organising security for the president’s visits.

    However, French TV stated that Mr Benalla had additionally been managing security for 2 key events this month, together with the parade of the arena Cup-profitable France soccer group alongside the Champs-Elysées.

    Paris prosecutors introduced on Thursday they had been commencing a initial investigation into the alleged assault.

    Before Mr Benalla joined the presidential workforce he had the function of head of safety right through Mr Macron’s election campaign in 2017.

    Asked if he had trust in his bodyguard on Wednesday night time, President Macron pointed to a member of his entourage. “My bodyguard’s over there,” he said.

  • World Cup: Paris renames stations for France heroes’ welcome

    Bercy Symbol copyright RATP Symbol caption Bercy station was given the adage Les Bleus, in honour of the French team

    The Paris metro has temporarily renamed six stations in honour of France’s International Cup victors, as the capital prepares to salute their return.

    The French coach’s title features at two stops. Notre-Dame des Champs turns into Notre Didier Deschamps at the same time as one among the vital stops is renamed Deschamps Elysées-Clémenceau.

    The Global Cup winners will take an open-top bus alongside the vital road within the middle of Paris later on Monday.

    France beat Croatia FOUR-2 on Sunday.

    Zagreb was once additionally getting ready to welcome back the runners-up, with a parade in the course of the centre of the Croatian capital on Monday afternoon. Local government made public delivery loose to allow as many of us as imaginable to sign up for the party.

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  • Macron caution over EU’s Africa migrant centre plans

    What did EU leaders agree final week?

    They reached a deal after marathon negotiations in Brussels, however they have for the reason that differed sharply on how the plan would be applied. The measures they agreed on incorporated:

    Exploring the likelihood of “regional disembarkation platforms”, designed to thwart folks-smuggling gangs via processing migrants outdoor the eu setting up secure migrant processing centres in EU countries, although no usa has yet volunteered to host one. Mr Macron said France wouldn’t host one because it used to be no longer a rustic the place migrants landed however Italian High Minister Giuseppe Conte stated the centres could be any place in the european Strengthening external border controls, with extra funding for Turkey and international locations in North Africa Boosting funding in Africa to assist the continent succeed in a “socio-financial transformation” so folks now not wish to depart in pursuit of a better lifestyles in Europe

    In Advance on in his trip to Lagos, Mr Macron instructed Nigerian marketers his aim used to be to help Africa prevail, be offering new desire to African adolescence and convince Europeans that Africa was once a part of their “common destiny”.

    More Than ONE HUNDRED other folks have drowned and an extra ONE HUNDRED had been suggested missing after migrant boats sank in separate incidents over the past week, the World Group for Migration (IOM) says.

    Greater Than 1,000 folks have died seeking to pass the Mediterranean this 12 months, the IOM says.

    About FIFTY SIX,000 migrants have arrived in Europe up to now this yr in comparison with more than one million in 2015.

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  • Italy-France tensions flare as migrants head to Spain – The Globe and Mail

    Italy escalated its standoff with France over migration Wednesday, difficult Paris to take in more asylum-seekers and significant an apology after the French president accused the new populist Italian government of cynical, irresponsible behaviour via refusing access to a rescue ship with 600 folks aboard.

    Italy summoned the French ambassador for consultations and Inside Minister Matteo Salvini chided French President Emmanuel Macron via identify all the way through a speech ahead of Parliament ’s upper chamber.

    Salvini stated France had taken in just a fraction of the NINE,816 migrants it had pledged to welcome under a 2015 EUROPEAN relocation plan to relieve frontline countries Italy and Greece of the load of taking care of newly arrived migrants.

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    “So I ask President Macron to move from phrases to action and the next day to come morning welcome the 9,000 France promised to welcome as a sign of concrete generosity and not simply words,” Salvini said to applause in the Senate chamber.

    “I talk in the name of a government however I even have the ambition of speaking for a people who don’t have anything to be informed from any individual about generosity, volunteerism, welcome and harmony,” he mentioned.

    Italy has defended its determination to refuse to permit the Aquarius rescue ship to dock, saying it hasn’t ever deserted the send and is escorting it to Spain. Spain stepped up and presented the Aquarius protected harbour in Valencia after Italy and Malta each refused.

    The standoff over the Aquarius seemed a transparent tactic by Italy ’s new government to force Europe ’s hand on the upcoming summit of ECU leaders in Brussels June 28-29. Italy for years has complained that it has been left largely by myself to manage Europe ’s migrant difficulty, but the new govt says its tactics have finally gotten the purpose across.

    Salvini has accused European aid groups of necessarily running taxi services and products for Libya-based human traffickers, and has said Italy will now refuse their rescue ships access. Italian maritime vessels, alternatively, are nonetheless docking in its ports: on Wednesday, an Italian coast shield vessel docked in Catania, Sicily with 932 migrants aboard.

    The Diciotti was once greeted in Catania ’s port by activists criticizing the new coverage, with a banner draped on the port saying “Prevent the assault on refugees.”

    French President Emmanuel Macron had blasted what he called Italy ’s cynicism and irresponsibility in turning away the Aquarius, that is operated through the humanitarian staff SOS Mediterranee and the French-based Docs Without Borderlines.

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    Macron ’s place of job mentioned Tuesday that France doesn ’t wish to “get started a precedent” that will permit some Ecu countries to breach global rules and depend on different ECU member states to take in migrants.

    In his speech, Salvini shot again and said France had turned again 10,249 migrants at Italy ’s northern border since January “including women, youngsters and disabled people.” The border crossing element at Ventimiglia has been the scene of protests and desperation for years as France has refused to allow in migrants, lots of whom are looking for to achieve circle of relatives in France or Germany.

    Under the european ’s asylum regulations — currently the topic of revision amid a major political dispute — migrants must practice for asylum within the country where they first input Europe. In observe, this has positioned a heavy burden on Italy and Greece, the place masses of heaps of people have entered in recent years. A Few countries really feel justified in stopping migrants from coming into after they should have registered elsewhere.

    Salvini additionally demanded that France make excellent on its pledge to relocate migrants beneath a 2015 EUROPEAN scheme that by no means fully were given off the ground.

    France was to have regular a complete of 19,714 migrants from Italy and Greece; in all, it ordinary 4,677. AROUND THE Eu Union, just a 3rd of the NINETY EIGHT,255 migrants that were alleged to be relocated below the scheme have been relocated through the time it ended remaining 12 months.

    Salvini ’s League campaigned during the March 4 nationwide election on a powerful anti-migrant schedule that included guarantees of mass expulsions of migrants already here. according to government figures, Italy has conventional 640,000 migrants for the reason that 2014, however the selection of arrivals this year is at a 5-yr low: 14,441 since January.

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    The number of migrants arriving in Italy began plummeting last year after the Italian govt underneath the centre-left Democratic Celebration negotiated debatable offers with Libya that beefed up its capacity to raised patrol its coasts and discouraged land-primarily based smugglers.

    In Advance Wednesday, Salvini accused France of having led to the instability in Libya that has allowed smuggling networks to thrive through spearheading the 2011 NATO-led army marketing campaign that led to the downfall of Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi.

    The Aquarius and Italian ships that have taken a few of the migrants at the moment are anticipated to arrive in Valencia on Saturday night time, weather conditions permitting, said SOS Mediterranee ’s co-founder Sophie Beau. The port is some 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) from the place the ship have been on standby since Saturday night.

    “It ’s a relief for everyone, our teams and in fact mainly for the survivors to grasp that they’re in any case allowed to move to a secure port in Europe,” Beau advised newshounds in Marseille, France.