Jean-Pierre Colombies was a police officer for 34 years. He worked for the criminal and narcotics brigades of the Marseille SRPJ.
During our interview, he talked about the death of Nahel Merzouk, killed by a police officer in Nanterre on June 27 following a refusal to obey.
"On the shooting itself, let's be very clear: it should never have happened. Is the policeman in danger? Is he not? By lying down on the hood of the vehicle, I get the impression that he's putting himself in danger."
"Then there's the young man's personality. Is it normal that we have so many teenagers who settle down to delinquency? This wasn't the first time he'd been found at fault. He had already been arrested two days earlier for driving without a license. That doesn't explain or excuse the fact that he was shot, but it's interesting to wonder how some young people get involved in the world of delinquency," explains the former policeman.
While several voices have been raised to denounce systemic racism in the police force, the former police commander believes that these accusations are unfounded: "It's absolute bad faith. Go to the police stations, look at the police patrols and you'll see what color of people they are. You have great diversity."
"We're not going to say that the police don't make mistakes. There are blunders, and they must be punished," he continues.
While Nahel's death gave rise to spectacular rioting, Jean-Pierre Colombies sees it as the product of a number of factors, citing in particular "the result of several years of evolution" during which the forces of law and order "completely deserted the neighborhoods".
"There's no dialogue, there's nothing. These neighborhoods no longer have any notion of public service, police or authority. We've broken everything in this country.
"You have to be Darmanin or Macron to believe that the Republic goes everywhere. When it does, it's with a lot of intervention forces. There are neighborhoods run by thugs," he adds.
"If the police no longer go into these neighborhoods, the residents who are victims of aggression and violence are no longer protected, and that's disgusting. It's easier to beat up the Gilets Jaunes or those defending their pension rights. In these estates, there are people who get up at 4 or 5 in the morning to work. They're hostages to the thugs, we've abandoned them."
Asked whether the police were making legitimate use of force, Jean-Pierre Colombies returned to the demonstrations of recent years.
"I'm not talking about police violence, but political violence, it's not the same thing. It's not the same thing. Police violence only exists when there is a political power ordering or endorsing it," he explains.
"There's a manipulation of the masses. Images are focused on the black blocs, whereas you have 3 million demonstrators behind them. [...] It's staged, theatrical," observes the former policeman. We're letting chaos set in. The incidents are broadcast over and over again on the mass media. It's called propaganda.
"Emmanuel Macron is in a dynamic of protecting his power and his governance. He uses the security forces as a bulwark against his policies. How long will this hold? What will happen when it no longer holds?"
00:00 Intro
01:34 What was your career in the police?
07:14 What do you think of the circumstances in which the young Nahel died before the riots?
13:32 Are the French police racist?
19:22 Are the French police using legitimate force?
30:53 What is the state of mind of the police?
39:02 What are the riots about?
42:44 Has the state been negligent in allowing the situation to deteriorate in the French suburbs?
50:58 Is there a link between France's migration policy and the riots?
54:18 What role do parents play in the violence?
58:11 What's the role of suburban kingpins in these riots?
01:10:27 Is French society becoming increasingly violent?
01:16:53 Is the justice system lax?
01:23:06 Should we be worried about a shift towards a surveillance society in the name of security?
01:26:12 Conclusion