France: Protestors Group Attack Two Women Journalists Covering Violent Demonstrations

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns violence toward journalists and urges police to ensure the press can work safely.

Location: France
Date: June 29, 2023

French journalists hit with crowbars, chased and equipment smashed while covering violent uprising after police kill teenager. The Coalition For Women in Journalism condemns the acts of aggression. Every effort must be made to ensure journalists’ safety and enable them to fulfill their vital role in providing the public with accurate news and information.

“It's very violent now in France, and we are on the front line,” journalist Emma Audrey expressed to CFWIJ on the challenges of covering violent demonstrations following the police shooting of a teenager during a traffic stop.

On June 29, 2023, Audrey and her colleague were filming in Besançon when a masked group of 5 or 6 people armed with crossbars attacked them from behind. The group hit the journalists multiple times, cracking Audrey’s helmet and wounding her colleague. 

Audrey suffered minor head trauma and was left with bruises all over her body. Her colleague, who did not have head protection, was cut severely, requiring stitches. 

Audrey says she suffers from pain after the attack, and her colleague has a neck injury and wound. 

Ce soir nous avons fait comme d'habitude notre métier. Nous étions au cœur des situations les plus tendues à #Besançon, comme à notre habitude. Malgré les précautions prises, nous avons été pris à parti par quelques personnes. Il est important de mentionner que d'autre -> pic.twitter.com/Kkath8L8me

— Emma Audrey (@emma_audrey_fr) June 30, 2023

Emma Audrey’s helmet cracked during the assault. CREDIT: Emma Audrey

The journalists – reporting for Radio BIP/Média 25 – escaped due to help from onlookers who intervened. 

“Fortunately, some people managed to help us a little, and we could escape from the hunt. We went directly to the emergency,” recounted Audrey.

On the same evening in the city of Tours, a journalist from TV Tours-Val de Loire was viciously attacked while documenting a tourist bus set ablaze during demonstrations.

According to the deputy director of TV Tours-Val de Loire, the journalist was surrounded by a group of around 15 individuals who began hurling insults, threats, and physically assaulting her. They forcibly took her camera and smashed it with a stone. Fortunately, a bystander intervened and managed to help the journalist escape. The mob pursued them for a considerable distance before stopping.

Although unharmed, the journalist was shaken by the traumatic incident. Her employer condemned the attack, emphasizing that their reporters are dedicated to providing the public with accurate information.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that 15 journalists were either attacked or impeded by protesters while covering demonstrations nationwide, another three were attacked by police.

In response to an increasingly hostile environment for journalists, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) set up an emergency hotline for press workers. The press freedom organization called the assaults on journalists in France “completely unacceptable” and set up the service to empower media workers to report instances of violence or abusive treatment they may encounter while on assignment.

Protests after police shooting

On June 27, a 17-year-old teenager of Algerian heritage, Nahel Merzouk, was tragically shot dead by a police officer during a routine traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. 

Nahel’s death has exacerbated tensions between the police and marginalized communities, prompting debates surrounding police accountability and the excessive use of force.

Disturbing footage of the shooting captured by a bystander revealed two officers standing by the driver's side of the vehicle, with one officer inexplicably firing his gun at the driver, despite the absence of any immediate threat.

The officer's justification for his actions was his fear that the boy might run someone over with the car, according to prosecutor Pascal Prache. However, Prache has indicated that the officer likely acted unlawfully by resorting to his weapon. As a result, the officer is now the subject of a formal investigation for voluntary homicide and has been placed in preliminary detention.

Following the police shooting, a wave of protests erupted. For several days there were violent scenes in Paris and other cities across France as protestors burned vehicles, shattered windows, and clashed with riot police. The demonstrations resulted in thousands of arrests and extensive damage. 

Nahel's grandmother, Nadia, made a heartfelt plea for peace, urging protestors to cease their destructive actions. She emphasized that rioters, mostly minors, were using Nahel's death as an excuse for their behavior and called for an end to the destruction of public property.

Assaults on journalists covering demonstrations

In 2023, CFWIJ recorded several assaults on women journalists reporting on protests. Worryingly, French police officers have routinely acted aggressively toward the press. During pension reform protests in March 2023, police manhandled, strangled, and forcibly arrested journalist Chloé Gence in Paris. In May, journalist Harmony Pondy-Nyaga was assaulted by security personnel and police officers when reporting a climate demonstration. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism strongly condemns attacks on journalists reporting from demonstrations. The assault on Emma Audrey and TV Tours-Val de Loire’s journalist could have been fatal if not for the intervention of onlookers. We support both journalists and all press working to report on the protests across France and call on both protestors and police to respect their right to document without fear of attack.

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.