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I agree, especially a Divisionary Commissaire ... a regular cop may not know much about the law, or whatever, but this guy could have found something to arrest me for (something like: "wearing tongs in a demonstration", for all I know).

I sensed also, when he started telling me that he was a super robocop who'd seen it all, that his footing wasn't too sure on this law either (and that my pertinent comments were annoying him).

by Alex in Toulouse on Tue Apr 4th, 2006 at 04:40:36 PM EST
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Once a guy like that decides to give you trouble, yes, he can get you for wearing tongs or whatever he likes. The next morning when you get out, it'll be insulting an officer or resisting arrest or something like that. Not easy to disprove, and the courts in France systematically side with the cops.
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue Apr 4th, 2006 at 04:47:05 PM EST
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"Look I'm nice, I'm not going to hassle you and check your camera, so just let it be and move on"

Is a clear case of "Respect my auforita!"...

Very good diary. Will watch the movies at my work were I've got better connection.

Sweden's finest (and perhaps only) collaborative, leftist e-newspaper Synapze.se

by A swedish kind of death on Tue Apr 4th, 2006 at 07:00:36 PM EST
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Hmm.  A friend of mine in Zimbabwe got arrested for insulting a police officer at a demo outside the High Court.  All he did was alert some photographers that someone was being arrested, and the police grabbed him and tossed him in the van too.  He spent quite a few days in jail, but eventually they had to release him without charge because his lawyer had collected statements from a bunch of witnesses who were willing to testify that he had never insulted or even spoken to the police officers.  The witnesses included a High Court judge, who'd watched the whole thing from his office window.

But absent the testimony of a judge in your favor, yeah, it would probably be your word against the cop's.  At which point you'd be the first person I know to be convicted of sneering.

by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Wed Apr 5th, 2006 at 03:20:06 AM EST
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