France: Three police officers were given suspended sentences for assault on young footballer

Three French police officers have been given suspended sentences for assaulting a young footballer in the Paris suburbs last year. The officers were found guilty of assault and battery on the 15-year-old boy, who was playing football in a park in Mantes-la-Jolie in September 2023. The video of the incident, which showed the officers pinning the boy to the ground and repeatedly striking him, went viral and sparked outrage across France.

The police officers were sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay €10,000 in damages to the victim. The court also ordered them to perform 100 hours of community service. The victim’s lawyer, Laurent-Franck Liénard, said he was “satisfied” with the verdict, but added that it was “only a first step in the fight against police violence”.