Trial begins for police officers accused of violence against Muslim youth in France

One of the policemen on trial in France for using mass violence against a Muslim teenager named Hedi during protests on 2 July and firing a bullet that caused a dent in his skull has admitted that he fired a rubber bullet gun that day.

According to the news of Le Figaro, the trial of 4 policemen accused of using collective violence and injuring a Muslim teenager named Hedi during the demonstrations held in Marseille on 2 July for the 17-year-old Nael M., who was killed by a police bullet, started in Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal.

One of the arrested policemen admitted in court that he fired a rubber bullet during the demonstration on the day the Muslim youth was injured.

The lawyer of the policeman, Pierre Gassend, argued that there was no evidence that the bullet that injured the Muslim youth was a bullet fired from his client's gun.

On the other hand, the police officers' request for a closed hearing was rejected by the court.

The court decided to continue the pre-trial detention of the police officers.

Process
In the country, 7 police officers were detained on the grounds that they inflicted collective violence on a Muslim youth named Hedi during the demonstrations held in Marseille on 2 July in response to the killing of a young man named Nael M. with a police bullet on 27 June.

Frederic Veaux, Director General of the French National Police, also criticised the detention of the police officers and said, "A police officer has no place behind bars until the outcome of the trial is clear."

These remarks of the Chief of Police caused reactions from politicians and lawyers in France on the grounds that they "led to a violation of the rule of law" and were discussed for days.

President Emmanuel Macron, in his statement on the subject, stated that everyone is "equal" before the law.