Police officers gathered outside France’s National Assembly make for a powerful image: the proximity of security and politics, made real on the banks of the Seine.
Often criticised for overly aggressive tactics during protests, French police come here on Wednesday as protesters themselves, calling for a tougher response to the aggression security forces face.
Within the past month, a policeman was killed during an anti-drugs operation, and a policewoman was stabbed to death in a targeted attack. “It was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Stanislas Gaudon, head of the Alliance police union. “It was something we were afraid of, almost expecting.”
