“The Inter-Union Order Service was attacked violently and deliberately by the police,” Laurent Feisthauer, head of CGT 67, said in a statement.
“While the demonstration was not over, we untied the security cordon so that the demonstration would not be in danger. Then the police charged us. They fired tear gas. Then we fired tear gas. And we attacked with batons and shields,” he said.
“The head of the Inter-Union Order Service was personally gassed in the eyes while trying to negotiate with a police chief,” he said in his press release, attaching a photo and video.
Emmanuel Fernandez (LFI) and Sandra Recole (Ecologist), two representatives of Strasbourg, condemned the police violence in a letter sent on Thursday to the president of Bas-Rhine, Josien Chevalier.
Side effects
“Elected officials, families, colleagues were on the march and some were batoned and some were teargassed, without warning,” they wrote.
They added that “customers on the terrace” and “Strasbourg residents, tourists and children also suffered the collateral effects of this charge by repeatedly receiving direct tear gas fire.”
They are asking the governor to explain “the course of events, the chain of command that made it and the reasons that led to this charge of endangering the public and minors.”
On March 23, Emmanuel Fernández filed a statement with the Strasbourg prosecutor’s office after demonstrators were detained in a “trap” where they suffered, according to him, a “gas explosion”.
Asked by AFP, the Bas-Rhin prefecture had no comment on the letter and indicated that twelve police officers were injured and five arrested during Thursday’s demonstration.
It brought together 5,600 people by province and 12,000 people by trade unions.