Overview
- Nine former members of CRS 43 went on trial at the Paris correctional court for aggravated intentional violence, with some facing up to seven years in prison and €100,000 in fines over the 2018 incident near the Arc de Triomphe.
- Court screened newly public Burger King surveillance videos showing officers striking people—including some with hands raised—during an intervention lasting about three minutes, with no damage recorded inside the restaurant.
- The hearing opened with tension as most defendants arrived in uniform; judges required them to remove insignia before proceedings continued.
- Investigative files note authorities later deemed the operation not legitimate; the unit commander, who asked to be charged, was not indicted, which victims’ lawyers call a missed opportunity to pursue higher-level responsibility.
- Defense counsel argues the actions must be viewed in the context of an exceptionally violent day, while victims describe documented injuries and lasting psychological trauma, and records show officers had been ordered to clear the premises rapidly, using force if met with resistance.