France: police kill four
01 May 1993
The new RPR-UDF French government under Mr Balladur had campaigned for tougher immigration laws and increased police powers. At the beginning of April four people died at the hands of the police which was followed by widespread riots, the government announced its intention of increasing police powers and toughening the immigration laws.
The riots were triggered on 4 April in Chambery in eastern France when police arrested an 18 year old suspected of stealing a car. He was shot dead by the police during the arrest. Two days later, on 6 April, a 17 year old Zairean, Makome M'Bowole, was shot dead in custody after being arrested on suspicion of shoplifting. Makome's arrest took place in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, a district with a large immigrant population in the north of the city. While Makome was being held in the interrogation room at the local commissariat (police station), the arresting officer put a gun to the boy's head and shot him at point blank range. The police officer, Inspector Pascal Compain, who said he had "only wanted to frighten him" has been charged with voluntary manslaughter.
As the news filtered out, demonstrations took place outside the commissariat and these quickly turned to riots as the police tried to break up the crowds. All demonstrations in Paris were immediately banned, but people continued to demonstrate and the 8 April the rioting had spread to Lille. In Tourcoing, a Lille suburb, a 17 year old Algerian, Rachid Ardjouni, and four of his friends were caught up in a police round-up and told to lie on the ground. Rachid was shot in the head by a drunken police officer and died the following day. Sgt Frederick Fournier has been charged in connection with Ardjouni's killing.
Demonstrations and confrontations with police continued in both cities until 10 April when a final demonstration took place in the 18th arrondissement - seventy people were arrested, including six charged with rioting and carrying weapons.
The cause of Makome's arrest and subsequent murder was a major police sweep through the 18th arrondissement ostensibly to round up drug dealers and minor criminals in the area. "Sweeps" are regularly used in an racist way with white people rarely stopped and involve police carrying out identity card checks in the metro and the streets. They are used as a means of picking up "illegal" immigrants and over-stayers, especially as the time taken with dealing with the bureaucracy to get an identity card discourages all but the most persistent. This particular "sweep" led to many being arrested whose papers had expired or were otherwise out of order. Immigrants picked up in this way are frequently deported back to their country of origin.
On 8 April 32 year old Pascal Tais also died of a ruptured spleen while in police custody in the town of Arachon; police claimed that the injury was self-inflicted. A week later a 15- year old white youth, Eric Simonte, was seriously ill after being shot in the back by a motorcycle policeman who suspected him of stealing a car near Cherbourg.
Interior Minister Charles Pasqua's response to the police killings was to announce the introduction of changes in the law. Three changes are planned concerning the ID card system: firstly, in future carrying the card will be obligatory for everyone (at present only immigrants must carry their cards at all times); secondly all police will have the right to demand to see the card (at present it is only Officiers de Police Judiciare who are specially authorised to do this); lastly, in future all cards will be plastic with a computerised number to give instant access to police files.
The plans have led to criticism from civil liberties groups (see also story in Immigration section on changes in the law). They point to the Council of Europe report which criticised the French government for not having a code of conduct for police interrogations and the lack of any requirement to have a doctor or lawyer pr