2020 by the Young Diplomats Society

THE IMPLICATIONS
OF THE PROPOSED
GLOBAL SECURITY
LAW IN FRANCE
The controversial decision by France’s National Assembly to
change the proposed wording of Article 24 in the Global
Security Law (GSL), was momentous. While there is hope
that an amendment can bring a balance between protecting
fundamental freedoms and the protection of law
enforcement officers, the damage has already been done.
Given the international backlash and mass protests arising
from the proposal, and the decision to go ahead with the
amendments in spite of it, many have questioned France’s
commitment to human rights, with many continuing to
oppose the purposes of the bill as a whole.
The controversy surrounding the GSL stems primarily from
the proposed wording of Article 24, which would penalise
the publishing of images or videos of police officers in
certain circumstances. Advocates for the bill argued that
there are currently insufficient protections for law
enforcement in France and note that Article 24 is intended
to “protect those who protect us.” However, instances of
police brutality in recent protests and the recent release of a
video showing a black music producer, Michel Zecler, being
beaten by police on November 22, have brought into
question the implications that this law could have.
With the significance and global influence of the Black Lives
Matter movement, and increasingly publicised examples of
abuse of power by law enforcement in France looming in
the background, the implications of the GSL must consider
human rights and justice.
CONTEXT
Proposals to amend the GSL were first presented by the
majority party in government, La République en Marche, for
the purpose of respecting the identity and the work of those
that reinforce and maintain security. This is explicit within
the text of the proposed amendment to Article 24, wherein:
“IT SHALL BE PUNISHABLE BY ONE YEAR’S IMPRISONMENT
AND A FINE OF EUR 45, 000 FOR DISTRIBUTING, BY
WHATEVER MEANS AND ON WHATEVER MEDIUM, FOR THE
PURPOSE OF HARMING THE PHYSICAL OR MENTAL
INTEGRITY, THE IMAGE OF THE FACE OR ANY OTHER
IDENTIFYING ELEMENT OF A NATIONAL POLICE OFFICER
OR NATIONAL GENDARMERIE OTHER THAN ITS INDIVIDUAL
IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WHEN THEY ARE ACTING IN THE
CONTEXT OF A POLICE OPERATION”.
According to French Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, the
contents of the proposal arose in response to the increasing
volume of threats levelled against police officers on social
media platforms. The proposed bill was welcomed by police
unions in France, who recently addressed their complaints
and concerns to President Emmanuel Macron.
Consequently, on November 24, amid escalating public
protests, the National Assembly moved to adopt the first
reading document of the GSL.
PHOTOGRAPHING LAW ENFORCEMENT
The widespread occurrence of police brutality and racial
profiling in France has motivated individuals to record and
broadcast images and videos of police officers. One recent
example concerns the death of Cédric Chouviat, a delivery
driver who suffered a heart attack after police put him in a
chokehold. Additionally, in December 2018 gillets-jaunes
(yellow-vest) demonstrators were assaulted by police in a
Burger King outlet.