France: Women Press Freedom Demand Investigation into Police Harassment of Louise Bihan at Demonstration
Third incident of law enforcement intimidating press covering environmental actions in 2024
Location: France, Lille
Date: May 17, 2024
Police officers harassed freelance journalist Louise Bihan while she covered an ecological demonstration, highlighting a disturbing trend of law enforcement hostility toward journalists covering climate actions in France. Despite her right to document public events, Bihan faced intimidation, privacy violations, and threats of prosecution. Journalists have the right to document and publish their work, especially in public spaces where police activities are taking place. Threatening prosecution for publishing photos constitutes harassment, and photographing an identity card with a personal phone breaches privacy regulations and data protection laws. Women Press Freedom denounces the police for their targeted attempt to intimidate Bihan and demands an investigation into the officers involved. Aggressive and intimidating behavior from police against press covering protests in the country must not continue with impunity.
Louise Bihan was reporting on a demonstration by Riposte Alimentaire, an ecological and social activist campaign, in Lille on May 17, 2024, when police attempted to intimidate her and curb her reporting.
"We know how you operate, you don’t like the police," an officer told the independent journalist and photographer.
The officer's comment referred to Bihan’s previous work documenting far-right tattoos on police officers, which she had shared on social media and which had been picked up by several media outlets. The remark indicated that the police present were biased against her due to her prior work.
Riposte Alimentaire displayed a banner on the highest civil belfry in Europe in Lille. This act of civil disobedience was intended to protest against the future agricultural law being considered in the National Assembly.
While reporting on the event, municipal police officers approached Bihan and told her not to publish any photos that included them and threatened to prosecute her if she did. They also demanded to view her photos and photographed her identity card using a police officer’s personal phone. Bihan says police also questioned her about how she had learned of the Riposte Alimentaire action.
Concerningly, Women Press Freedom has documented several incidents of law enforcement in France acting aggressively toward women journalists covering environmental actions and demonstrations. On March 24, 2024, France 3 Occitanie journalist Harmonie Pacione was obstructed from covering environmental protests against the construction of the A69 motorway, while her colleague Miryam Brisse was assaulted by a gendarme and thrown to the ground. Last year, journalist Harmony Pondy-Nyaga was forcibly removed by police while filming an environmental protest in Paris. Security guards dragged the journalist away from the protest, and police threw her to the ground.
Women Press Freedom condemns the harassment and intimidation of Louise Bihan. We express concern for reporters on the ground in France covering environmental protests and social justice movements. The treatment of Louise Bihan, Harmonie Pacione, Miryam Brisse, and Harmony Pondy-Nyaga exemplifies a troubling pattern of aggression from police. We call on French law enforcement agencies to respect the rights of journalists to report freely and without fear of retribution. The government must implement stronger protections for journalists and hold those who violate these protections accountable.
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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