New Law in France Criticised for Harming Press Freedom, with Protest Leading to Conflicts, 20 Officers Injured and 46 Arrests
46 thousand people took to the streets of Paris, France, in protest against the new security law for damaging press freedom and offering excessive protection to the police force. The protest triggered clashes between civilians and the police. Police dispersed protestors with tear gas and water cannons while protestors threw stones, glass bottles, etc. The police said that more than 20 officers were injured and 46 arrests were made. The Prime Minister of France Jean Castex announced the establishment of an independent commission to review and redraft the new security law.
The new security law stipulated that anyone that takes photos or videos of the police maliciously are in violation of the law. Oppositions to the law criticised it as damaging to press freedom, which enables the documentation of police brutality. One of the triggers to the protest was a black music producer named Michel Zecler. Zecler was on his way to his studio on Saturday late evening (Nov 21) when he was brutally shoved into his studio and assaulted by three police officers emerging from their police vehicle, who suspected him of violating the pandemic rules requiring the wearing of face mask in public. After Zecler was severely injured and called for help, three colleagues from upstairs came to thrust the officers out of the studio. Zecler said that while he was assaulted, he heard insults of racist slurs directed at him. The whole process was captured by closed-circuit television. President of France Emmanuel Macron called the event unacceptable and shameful and had ordered the police to promptly submit a report on how to restore confidence in the police force and improve relations between the police and the public. The three officers involved have been suspended for investigation.
#France #MichelZecler #Zecler #EmmanuelMacron #Macron #PoliceBrutality #Racist #Racism #NewSecurityLaw #Protest #Paris
Source: Stand News #Nov29
https://bit.ly/2Jzito6
46 thousand people took to the streets of Paris, France, in protest against the new security law for damaging press freedom and offering excessive protection to the police force. The protest triggered clashes between civilians and the police. Police dispersed protestors with tear gas and water cannons while protestors threw stones, glass bottles, etc. The police said that more than 20 officers were injured and 46 arrests were made. The Prime Minister of France Jean Castex announced the establishment of an independent commission to review and redraft the new security law.
The new security law stipulated that anyone that takes photos or videos of the police maliciously are in violation of the law. Oppositions to the law criticised it as damaging to press freedom, which enables the documentation of police brutality. One of the triggers to the protest was a black music producer named Michel Zecler. Zecler was on his way to his studio on Saturday late evening (Nov 21) when he was brutally shoved into his studio and assaulted by three police officers emerging from their police vehicle, who suspected him of violating the pandemic rules requiring the wearing of face mask in public. After Zecler was severely injured and called for help, three colleagues from upstairs came to thrust the officers out of the studio. Zecler said that while he was assaulted, he heard insults of racist slurs directed at him. The whole process was captured by closed-circuit television. President of France Emmanuel Macron called the event unacceptable and shameful and had ordered the police to promptly submit a report on how to restore confidence in the police force and improve relations between the police and the public. The three officers involved have been suspended for investigation.
#France #MichelZecler #Zecler #EmmanuelMacron #Macron #PoliceBrutality #Racist #Racism #NewSecurityLaw #Protest #Paris
Source: Stand News #Nov29
https://bit.ly/2Jzito6
A journalist in exile suspected of being kidnapped back to Iran across the border and being executed
Iran government sentenced the 47-year-old journalist Ruhollah Zam, who was once in exile to France, to death because of "corruption" on Saturday (12th December). The journalist was accused of cooperating with foreign intelligence departments, sharing protest information as well as making teachings on gasoline bombs on his Telegram channel. The French government, human rights organisations, Reporters Without Borders and Committee to Protect Journalists all condemned the execution, describing it as “a fatal blow to Iran’s freedom of speech”.
Zam fled to Paris after being accused of cooperating with foreign intelligence departments in 2009. He subsequently started operating website “AmadNews” and his telegram channel, having over 1 million followers. He shared Iran protest information and scandals of Iran officials on his channel in 2017, and tutorials for making gasoline bomb. Telegram has once blocked his channel due to complaints from the Iranian government.
#Iran #RuhollahZam #Journalist #Paris #FreedomofSpeech #Iranprotests #Telegram #InExile #AmadNews
Source: Stand News #Dec13
https://bit.ly/3orlO6I
Iran government sentenced the 47-year-old journalist Ruhollah Zam, who was once in exile to France, to death because of "corruption" on Saturday (12th December). The journalist was accused of cooperating with foreign intelligence departments, sharing protest information as well as making teachings on gasoline bombs on his Telegram channel. The French government, human rights organisations, Reporters Without Borders and Committee to Protect Journalists all condemned the execution, describing it as “a fatal blow to Iran’s freedom of speech”.
Zam fled to Paris after being accused of cooperating with foreign intelligence departments in 2009. He subsequently started operating website “AmadNews” and his telegram channel, having over 1 million followers. He shared Iran protest information and scandals of Iran officials on his channel in 2017, and tutorials for making gasoline bomb. Telegram has once blocked his channel due to complaints from the Iranian government.
#Iran #RuhollahZam #Journalist #Paris #FreedomofSpeech #Iranprotests #Telegram #InExile #AmadNews
Source: Stand News #Dec13
https://bit.ly/3orlO6I
#SupportAppleDaily #GlobalSupport
#ReportersWithoutBorders protests #AppleDaily closure at Chinese embassies in Paris and Berlin
The press freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (#RSF) marched through the streets of Paris and Berlin on June 25, 2021.
They protested the closure of the Hong Kong's pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, after Hong Kong's Beijing-backed authorities froze the paper's assets and arrested several executives.
The NGO said on their website that they held "funeral-style processions" to denounce the "killing" of Apple Daily by the Hong Kong government, and to "raise alarm of the threats" posed by the Beijing regime to press freedom globally.
In Paris, RSF placed a coffin and funeral flowers for the Hong Kong paper in front of the #ChineseEmbassy. At the same time, they buried copies of the newspaper in front of the embassy in Berlin.
RSF Secretary-General Christophe Deloire said, "today's funeral is for Apple Daily, but tomorrow's may be for press freedom in China. It's time for the international community to act in line with their own values and obligations and defend what's left of the ,free press in Hong Kong before China's model of information control claims another victim."
Text: Deutsche Welle #Jun25
Photos: Reporters Without Borders
https://twitter.com/rsf_inter/status/1408397332190744579?s=21
#Paris #Berlin #Protests #NGO #Funeral
#ReportersWithoutBorders protests #AppleDaily closure at Chinese embassies in Paris and Berlin
The press freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (#RSF) marched through the streets of Paris and Berlin on June 25, 2021.
They protested the closure of the Hong Kong's pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, after Hong Kong's Beijing-backed authorities froze the paper's assets and arrested several executives.
The NGO said on their website that they held "funeral-style processions" to denounce the "killing" of Apple Daily by the Hong Kong government, and to "raise alarm of the threats" posed by the Beijing regime to press freedom globally.
In Paris, RSF placed a coffin and funeral flowers for the Hong Kong paper in front of the #ChineseEmbassy. At the same time, they buried copies of the newspaper in front of the embassy in Berlin.
RSF Secretary-General Christophe Deloire said, "today's funeral is for Apple Daily, but tomorrow's may be for press freedom in China. It's time for the international community to act in line with their own values and obligations and defend what's left of the ,free press in Hong Kong before China's model of information control claims another victim."
Text: Deutsche Welle #Jun25
Photos: Reporters Without Borders
https://twitter.com/rsf_inter/status/1408397332190744579?s=21
#Paris #Berlin #Protests #NGO #Funeral
Twitter
RSF
Today RSF staged parallel “funeral protests” outside the Chinese embassies in Paris & Berlin following the closure of #AppleDaily, warning that without concrete action by democracies, the death of press freedom in #HongKong could follow. Read more here 👉…