A BFMTV crew attacked in Lyon on the sidelines of a protest
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on L’essentiel
A BFMTV crew, made up of two journalists and two security guards, was attacked on Saturday in Lyon by protesters, according to the Rhône prefecture, which describes it as an intent to lynch. The CRS riot police intervened to protect them, and one alleged attacker has been arrested, the Interior Ministry announced.
A BFMTV crew, made up of two journalists and two security guards, was attacked on Saturday on the sidelines of a protest in Lyon. According to the Rhône prefecture, protesters threw themselves at its members, in violence it describes as an intent to lynch, and the CRS riot police charged to protect them. The Interior Ministry announced on Saturday evening the arrest of one of the alleged attackers.
A freelance journalist who witnessed the scene told AFP that one journalist was struck several times, and that his camera was thrown to the ground, broken and then stolen. He said he had to remove his press badge to avoid being targeted. BFMTV’s management strongly condemns these attacks and says it supports the complaints filed by its journalists.
Étienne Guyot, the Rhône prefect, firmly condemned these attacks and recalled that press freedom is a foundation of democracy. The demonstration, devoted to climate, children’s rights and youth, drew 8,000 people according to the authorities. Mortar fire and tear gas grenades erupted at the head of the procession, and a barricade was set on fire shortly before the attack. Reporters Without Borders has recorded more than 70 situations in recent weeks in which journalists saw their reporting hindered at gatherings in France, including 44 physical assaults, 29 of them committed by law enforcement officers. On the same Saturday, 106,000 people demonstrated in France, including 24,000 in Paris.
