French riot police on hunger strike over planned unit closures

France’s riot-control forces, the Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité, on Monday stepped up an unprecedented protest against the planned closure of several of its units. As police unions met with the Interior Ministry in the afternoon, some CRS staff carried out hunger strikes, while others took sick leave.

David Monniaux via Wikimedia Commons

The CRS, which has a total of 14,000 staff in 61 units, is upset over plans to shut down two units in Lyon and Marseille - and the looming threat of several more closures.

Marseille staff on Saturday began a hunger strike, and 53 people took sick leave on Sunday.

In Strasbourg several officers refused to have lunch as a show of solidarity. And in Perpignan, almost all staff dressed in white.

On Monday all five mobile units in France’s northern defence zone, with about 700 officials, joined in the protest by refusing to deliver traffic tickets and refraining from carrying out arrests.

“We notify motorists of their offence, but they are not given speeding fines," said union official Thierry Cauchy, adding that police in Calais did not carry out any arrests on behalf of the border police.

He emphasised that that security and public order operations were being carried out as normal.

Cauchy said the CRS has recently lost 1,300 staff members. To avoid closures, the CRS had agreed to lower the number of enrolments to 140 agents per unit, he said.

“We are trying to sell off the security of our country,” he said.