“Free movement”, “identification certificate”, “communication channel” … The Ministry of the Interior published on Monday part of the new version of the national plan for the maintenance of order (SNMO) which specifies the place of journalists in demonstrations, as ordered by the courts. The entire SNMO will be broadcast in the coming days, said the entourage of Minister Gerald Darmanin.
The “journalists” chapter of the new version provides for guaranteeing “the physical safety of journalists” because “it is imperative to protect the right to inform”, indicated in a press release Gérald Darmanin and his colleague from Culture, Roselyne Bachelot. Thus, “journalists can continue to exercise their missions when a crowd is dispersed without having to leave the premises” as long as they position themselves in such a way that “they do not hinder the action. forces of order ”in demonstrations declared as prohibited.
A “standardized certificate of identification provided by their employer”
The new scheme also states that it is “necessary” for journalists to be identifiable, by presenting a press card or a “standardized certificate of identification provided by their employer or sponsor” from January 2022. “This certificate was validated by the profession and recognized by the public prosecutor ”, specifies the new version of the diagram. In addition, a “referent” within the police “trained and specifically available” will be designated for all events and “a channel of exchange will be set up, in the form of a” telecommunication loop.
The question of maintaining order has been the subject of heated controversy since the wave of protest against the labor law in 2016, and, above all, the movement of “yellow vests” in 2018-2019. Their processions were punctuated by violent clashes, degradations and numerous injuries in the ranks of the demonstrators, in particular knocked down by LBD (defense ball launcher) shots from the police.