The court says it is not the judges’ role to redefine public policy.
France’s police are under increased scrutiny after an officer shot dead a teenager of North African descent in June.
The case was brought before the Conseil d’Etat by six human rights organisations, which argue that the police systematically discriminate, especially against young Arab and Black men, when deciding who to stop on routine patrols. They asked for concrete reforms. The government and police are under increased scrutiny after an officer shot dead a teenager of North African descent during a traffic stop in June, bringing long-simmering resentment among urban immigrant communities to the boil.
“The judges need time to understand the use of the class action. For them, it can be used timidly,” said Antoine Lyon-Caen, the lawyer for the six organisations, citing a similar class action in New York, which was successful.