France: Journalist Chloé Gence Violently Arrested While Covering Protests – Behavior Of Police Unacceptable

Location: France, Paris
Date: March 17, 2023

Photographie de Gauthier Bedrignans / Hans Lucas

Le Media TV’s Chloé Gence manhandled, strangled, and forcibly arrested by police while covering pension reform protests. Police detained the journalist for thirty-five hours. A video of Gence being dragged by police shows the aggressive nature of the arrest. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is shocked by the level of violence. Police should not be able to act with impunity. Journalists have the responsibility to inform the public about protests and should not be arrested and detained. We call on French police to investigate this incident and ensure the press is allowed to report without interference. 

On March 17, journalist for Le Media TV Chloé Gence was arrested while reporting on demonstrations at Place de la Concorde in Paris. A video shared on social media shows police manhandling her as she cries that she cannot breathe. Le Media TV published a press release explaining that Gence was “arrested very brutally by the police” at around 9.45 pm. The journalist was capturing images of the protests for the outlet when the arrest occurred. Her colleague Paul Ricaud was also arrested and detained. 

Gence suffered several injuries at the hands of the police, she published photos of her bruises on social media. “When I cried he was still crushing the right of my throat and above all, I was afraid that he would tighten again, my only concern was that he would turn his arm. I still have a slight bruise on my jaw and a very swollen throat,” she wrote.

On March 19 police released Gence without charge. She spent thirty-five hours in police custody despite identifying as press.

Video of arrest of Chloé Gence

The National Union of Journalists denounced the incident as a serious attack on freedom of the press. “The SNJ lends its full support to this sister and brother, victims of a serious attack on the freedom of the press. It strongly reaffirms that arresting journalists is inadmissible, placing them in police custody is even more so,” it said.

Un Policier étrangle une manifestante elle dit ne plus pouvoir respirer, multiples arrestation d'une rare violence #Revolution #Police #arrestation pic.twitter.com/Ng8bhMLGda

— Civicio (@CivicioY) March 18, 2023

Police intimidating journalists covering protests

There have been several reports of police harassing and intimidating journalists covering protests in France. On 21 March, photojournalist Samuel Clauzier was held at gunpoint by a police officer while another threatened him with a baton. The photographer, who works for the independent media outlet Le Poing, was identifiable as a member of the press. The incident occurred during a demonstration against the pension reform in Montpellier. On the same day, another video journalist was grabbed by a police officer, who did not want him to film protests. The journalist asked the policeman to let go of him several times and told him he had a press card, to which the officer replied that everyone had a press card and that it did not mean anything.

Citizens throughout France are protesting plans to raise the retirement age. Strikes and protests against the pensions overhaul started at the beginning of the year and escalated last week after the government forced a bill through parliament without a vote. Protests have turned violent in many regions as police clash with protestors. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is outraged at the behavior of French police. Chloé Gence was reporting on protests for Media TV when she was violently grabbed, strangled, and detained by police. Despite identifying herself as a member of the press she was kept in police custody for thirty-five hours. Reporting on protests is essential, journalists have a duty to inform the public. Police should not use the chaos of protests to shut down the press. Those responsible for this violent arrest of Gence should be investigated and French police need to ensure that the media are free to report without harassment.

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.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.