The Committee on Social Affairs, meeting on 16 May in Helsinki, emphasised the importance of rethinking policing strategies in the face of social mobilisation and rebuilding a lasting bond between institutions and citizens, including young people in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

Analysing several large-scale social mobilisations in France with violence directed against demonstrators and law enforcement officials, the report by Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC), adopted by the committee, proposes a set of measures to best address the lack of connection and erosion of trust between citizens and the authorities – particularly those responsible for maintaining public order – and to define the conditions for a renewed social contract.

The draft resolution adopted advocates “placing dialogue and mediation at the heart of crowd control, developing strategies that do not pit law enforcement against demonstrators, and limiting the use of intermediate weapons to a strict minimum” in order to prevent the escalation of violence while preserving the right to protest.

The committee encouraged member states to avoid preventive arrests and obstruction strategies while strengthening dialogue and mediation before, during and after demonstrations. It also recommended to reinforce a community-based police presence aimed at fostering trust with local residents, particularly in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, to make long-term investments in the ongoing training and equipment of law enforcement officers, to combat ethnic profiling during identity checks, and to initiate a review of a possible total ban on the use of defence ball launchers in maintaining order.

Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

21/05/2025

https://pace.coe.int/en/news/9895