French Officer Gets Suspended Sentence For Beating Yellow Vest Protester- Reports

A French police officer who injured a protester in the French city of Strasbourg during the 2019 Yellow Vest demonstrations, has received a suspended sentence of 18 months, local newspaper Dernieres Nouvelles d'Alsace reported on Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd June, 2020) A French police officer who injured a protester in the French city of Strasbourg during the 2019 Yellow Vest demonstrations, has received a suspended sentence of 18 months, local newspaper Dernieres Nouvelles d'Alsace reported on Tuesday.

According to the media outlet, a 62-year-old woman suffered a traumatic brain injury after being beaten by the police officer on January 12, 2019, when the Yellow Vest protest turned into violent confrontations. The 47-year-old man has worked 23 years in law enforcement.

The investigation identified the officer via video surveillance. He was seen hitting the woman at least twice. However, he claimed that he struck her only once.

Although the public prosecutor's office has requested that the policeman be sentenced to a year of probation, the court has decided to toughen the penalty to 18 months of probation.

The yellow vest protests started in France in late 2018 in response to rising fuel prices and has grown to a series of violent demonstrations calling for various economic reforms. Even after the government surrendered to the protesters' demands and abandoned fuel tax rise, people continued flooding the streets, demanding an increase in wages, higher pensions and even the resignation of Emmanuel Macron, whom the protesters repeatedly dubbed as "the president of the rich."