Alwaght- The French Parliament has approved a bill which give police more power to use weapons amid an ongoing crackdown of protestors in the country.
The public security bill was passed by the Senate, the upper chamber of the French parliament, on Thursday, according to a statement on the parliament's website.
Municipal police officers will be permitted to use their weapons “in cases of absolute necessity,” when “armed persons threaten their lives or their physical integrity or those of others,” the text states.
The bill comes amid protests over police brutality that began in the mainly immigrant suburbs earlier this month spread to central Paris and other cities on Wednesday night and 49 people were arrested.
Clashes with police broke out after hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the Barbès-Rochechouart area, near the Gare du Nord railway station, where the Eurostar terminal is located, and the Sacré Coeur basilica in Montmartre, a favourite with tourists.
Police fired tear gas to disperse about 400 protesters. Some of the protestors went on a rampage in other parts of the capital, smashing windows and overturning dustbins.
Four officers have been placed under formal investigation for assault. One is also being investigated for rape after allegedly sodomising the 22-year-old man of African origin, named only as Théo, with a truncheon.
According to Le Figaro, the destruction is getting worse. At the beginning of the week, on the nights of the 12th and 13th, 32 vehicles were burnt out. On the 14th and 15th, some 47 cars were destroyed by fire as well as 59 bins.
Meanwhile in the ghettos, relations between residents and police continue to worsen with many having a very negative view on the police.
