France 3 journalists were impeded from reporting on environmental protest

Location: France, Castres

Date: March 24, 2024

Women Press Freedom vehemently condemns the gendarmerie’s physical assault against France 3 Occitanie journalist Miryam Brisse and the obstruction of the crew, including Harmonie Pacione, from covering environmental protests against the construction of the A69 motorway. Local journalists and the UN have previously raised concerns about the gendarmerie's behavior, as they have continuously restricted and intimidated press reporting at the site. We reiterate their call to the Tarn prefect, these obstructions and attacks against journalists cannot be allowed to continue. Gendarme officers must be held accountable for assaulting members of the press.

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“Let me do my job,” cries journalist Miryam Brisse as she is thrown to the ground by a gendarme officer. The incident, caught on video by her France 3 colleague Harmonie Pacione, shows the violent obstruction and attack against the journalists trying to cover a protest against the construction of the A69 highway near Castres.

On March 24, 2024, the journalists were reporting on activists occupying trees to oppose construction on the highway which involves tree clearing and displacing wildlife.

Initially granted freedom to report, the France 3 Occitanie team documented the events at the site without issue earlier in the day, according to Pacione. As the afternoon wore on, encounters with gendarmes turned confrontational. The officers obstructed the reporters from covering the protest, despite them having authorized access.

The reporters tried to talk to the gendarmerie, which refused to allow them to report. When Miryam Brisse attempted to navigate past a blockade, she was met with forceful intervention from a gendarme, who pushed her to the ground. Brisse, fortunately, escaped without injuries.

The assault on Miryam Brisse elicited widespread condemnation, as this was not the first-time press have been impeded at the site. Michel Vilbois, the prefect of Tarn, pledged to uphold press freedom during a meeting on March 19, where concerns were raised about police obstruction faced by journalists covering the A69 motorway project. Prefects, as high-ranking government officials, hold significant authority and are responsible for coordinating various governmental functions, including law enforcement and civil protection.

The prefect’s commitment followed a complaint in February 2024 by David Bobin, the editor-in-chief of France 3 Tarn. Bobin decried the "unacceptable working conditions" faced by journalists covering environmental protests. UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders Michel Forst, who visited the site, also observed the denial of access to journalists.

Following the assault on Brisse, the prefect of Tarn issued an apology, acknowledging the severity of the incident.

Worryingly this is not the first instance of unacceptable behavior Women Press Freedom has documented by the French gendarmerie toward the press. Adeline Percept and Thomas Chantepie, journalists from Swiss public broadcaster Radio-Télévision Suisse (RTS), faced coercion from gendarme officers to delete their video footage near a nuclear power plant in Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux in September 2023. The officers threatened the journalists with arrest and the end of their careers if they refused to comply.

Women Press Freedom unequivocally denounces the assault on Miryam Brisse and the obstruction of Harmonie Pacione. Such continuous obstruction of press coverage, particularly in matters of public interest, is unacceptable. While the response from the regional prefect is appreciated, it is essential that the pledges he has made to ensure safe and free access for press to the motorway site are upheld. Authorities must ensure that journalists covering construction projects and protests are allowed to fulfill their professional duties without fear of obstruction or violence.

Women Press Freedom is an initiative by The Coalition For Women In Journalism

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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