«Il n‘y a pas un monde développé et un monde sous-développé, mais un seul monde mal développé»
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
40th session
25 February – 22 March 2019
Alarmed by the fierce repression against the movement of “yellow vests”, the CETIM referred the matter to the UN Human Rights Council.
In its statement, the CETIM calls on the French government to immediately stop the repression of demonstrators. It also calls on the State party to fulfil its international commitments in the areas of human rights and labour law.
Indeed, the “yellow vest” movement is facing the worst increase in police violence since the Algerian war. For example, on 1 December 2018, 7,940 tear gas grenades were fired, 800 desemberment grenades, 339 GLI-F4 type grenades (explosive ammunition), 776 LBD cartridges, etc. According to provisional figures, there are more than ten accidental deaths, several thousand wounded, including a hundred seriously wounded, several hundred convicted and/or imprisoned.
The movement of yellow vests is the result of previous mobilizations and strikes that are multiplying in almost all sectors (public and private) to protest against the flexibilization of the labour market. The response of the French authorities is repression and obstruction of trade union activities. Wage discrimination against trade unionists, abusive dismissals of strikers, pressure from threats or disciplinary sanctions, restrictions on trade union rights or the right to strike, or even criminalisation of trade union action…. Not to mention the recent government reforms of the labour code that further penalize social movements.
Read the CETIM’s written statement
Read the oral statement in French
Watch the video subtitled in English
