France: Trial begins for police officer charged with hurling cobblestone at Yellow Vest protesters

W/S People outside courtroom, Paris
M/S Defendant's lawyer Laurent Boguet making his way into courtroom
W/S People outside courtroom
SOT, Linda Kebab, SGP Police Union representative (French): "Yesterday, one of our fellow officers collapsed [after he was hit by protesters]. He couldn't understand why it happened. This is why we are here today. We realise that the police is totally dehumanised in this regard. The officer said, 'I was getting hit by cobblestones for hours, I saw my commander getting hit on the helmet by cobblestones, he lost consciousness, without his helmet he would have been killed, we were getting hit for hours.' No instead we should say things vulgarly, with sadness and with tears like 'I got hit by cobblestones of anger, I threw it back. I did not mean to hit protesters."
W/S Court hall *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Yves Lefebvre, Secretary General of SGP Police Union (French): "This is a guerrilla stage, these people [protesters] are in the streets at 6a.m. operating in a hostile environment with Black Blocks and radicalised yellow vests, I call them criminals who could cause harm very badly."
W/S Journalists outside courtroom *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Laurent Boguet, Defendant's lawyer (French): "My client is satisfied with the requisitions. He has a good feeling at this stage, he expressed that. He is heard without doubt; videos could clarify many things, like how that day was dreadful for police. What he did only lasted a short while, lasted two or three seconds from this officer's life, he had to justify it vis-a-vis the general context in this big scene of violence."
W/S People outside courtroom *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Laurent Boguet, Defendant's lawyer (French): "I'm not the minister of interior sir, I'm a lawyer and I'm defending a man according to my job. [Protester talking: 'Doing your part in this power play, so you as a lawyer [has] no justice?] You should calm down. The idea of democracy that I have is not the same as yours, we know the conspiracy theory, sir."
SOT, Protester: "The democracy says never to give the right to speak to the other party, it's always the police and the lawyers who have the word (the right to speak). We the injured we never had the right to speak."
W/S Journalists
W/S Security checkpoint outside court
M/S Flags
M/S Sign "Paris Tribunal"
M/S Paris Tribunal
SCRIPT
A French police officer, charged with hurling cobblestone at Yellow Vest protesters during a rally, appeared in a Paris court on Thursday, becoming the first French policeman to face trial following allegations of police excessive use of force during the ongoing anti-government protests, reports say.
Footage shows journalists standing outside the courtroom, as representatives of police unions and the lawyer of the defendant give statements.
Yves Lefebvre, Secretary General of the SGP Police Union, said, "This is a guerrilla stage, these people [protesters] are in the streets at 6a.m. operating in a hostile environment with Black Blocks and radicalised yellow vests, I call them criminals who could hurt very badly."
Laurent Boguet, the defendant's lawyer, said that his client was satisfied with the requisition, adding, "videos could clarify many things, that that day was dreadful for police."
The 44-year-old officer has reportedly been caught on camera hurling the stone at protesters during the May 1 demonstrations. The video does not make it clear whether the stone ended up inflicting injuries to any of the protesters, reports say. If convicted, the officer risks up to three years in prison and a fine of €45,000 ($49,739).