Original subtitles

*-Bastards!

Protesters shouting

*-Move left, let's go!

Tighten up!

Tighten up!

- Do you recognize yourself?

I'll ask again.

Do you recognize yourself in this footage?

- Yes.

- Can you describe what you're doing?

- I pick up a paving stone and throw it.

- At the protesters? - Yes.

I didn't really throw it at them. In their direction, yes.

- We'll come back to that.

- Did I hit anyone? - I'm the one asking the questions.

In this footage, do you see

any projectiles being thrown by the protesters?

- Not at that moment.

But before, yes. There were plenty.

We were hit with projectiles all day long.

And 2 minutes earlier, my commander took a paving stone to the face.

He'd lifted his visor so they could hear him.

And the protesters applauded.

- I see.

Let's go back to the moment you threw the paving stone.

How do you justify what you did?

- I don't know.

I've been doing crowd control for 15 years.

I've never been under investigation,

this is the third time I've been questioned by the IGPN.

I just snapped.

I couldn't take it anymore.

- OK.

- Do you know if I'm at risk of suspension?

- I don't know.

Suspension depends on the administrative inquiry.

You'll be questioned by another investigator.

- I don't know how to do anything other than police work.

- It wasn't an appropriate act.

He did it out of anger, upset at seeing his superior injured.

*-Given the video, it's hard to let it slide.

A riot officer throwing a paving stone damages the image of the police.

It's an act of retaliation, using an unauthorized weapon.

It's serious. Very serious, even.

- Of course. But he admits his mistake

and regrets it. No one was injured.

We have to take into account the context and the fatigue.

*-His lawyer will argue all that at the trial.

Will you send me the report? - Understood.

*-Is your office on call this weekend?

- No, that's office 2.

*-Let's hope it'll be less hectic than last weekend.

Goodbye, Ms. Bertrand. - Goodbye, Deputy Prosecutor.

Tense music

Protesters shouting

- You bastards!

Projectiles and breaking glass

- Bastards!

*-Final warning before use of force!

Final warning!

Whistles, projectiles being thrown, Molotov cocktails

- It was a chaotic Saturday, with several cases coming in.

The prosecutor's office decided

it was up to us to handle the complaints

related to the Yellow Vests, regardless of severity.

- Even for injuries under 8 days' sick leave?

- That's right.

Since Christelle and her team are at capacity,

I'm distributing the cases.

- We're already handling 40 files.

- I know. Stéphanie too.

Christelle has 50.

Police sirens

- The hospital told me to come here to file a complaint.

It's about my son, Guillaume.

- Is he a minor? - No. He's 20.

- I see.

Since he's an adult, he's the one who needs to file the complaint.

- He can't, he's in the hospital, he's in very bad shape.

- I'll take your statement,

and then we'll see about next steps with the doctors.

- What do I need to do?

- Just try to describe what happened, in your own words.

- At the protest,

a police officer hit him with a rubber bullet gun.

- An LBD shot.

Were you a witness to the incident?

- No.

I wasn't with Guillaume

when it happened.

We were together on the Champs-Élysées,

but a crowd surge separated us.

- You came to protest with your son?

- Yes.

We came as a family. My three children were there.

Antonin, the oldest,

and Sonia, and Guillaume.

And Rémi too, Sonia's boyfriend.

He was with Guillaume when it happened.

- You were separated

and Rémi was with Guillaume at the time of the incident.

And he told you what happened?

- Yes.

He found us again when Guillaume was taken to the hospital.

- Which hospital is your son at?

- Bichat Hospital.

- Did the firefighters take him there?

- Yes, that's what Rémi told us.

- Alright.

I'll need to hear from this Rémi.

Do you have his last name?

- Cordier.

- Where is he right now?

- He's in police custody.

- Was he arrested by the officers who fired the shot?

- No, no. He was arrested later.

He was brought before a judge.

- An expedited hearing? - Yes.

- Was he convicted?

- I don't know.

I haven't slept much.

I've been at the hospital for 2 nights now.

I don't understand why they shot my son.

Right in the head!

My son is not a troublemaker, quite the opposite.

He has a job. He's an apprentice electrician.

We came to protest for public services.

In Saint-Dizier, they're closing everything.

- You're from Saint-Dizier?

- Yes.

Do you know it? - Yes.

- No. Well, never mind.

- Saint-Dizier or anywhere else, it's the same everywhere.

- The same how?

- Nobody cares about us.

- Let's get all of this down in writing.

*-Hello?

- Mom, it's Stéphanie.

*-Hello, sweetheart. How are you? - Good.

*-With everything that's going on...

- I'm fine. Do you know a Girard family,

from Saint-Dizier?

*-Girard?

- Joëlle Girard, 48 years old,

three children in their twenties.

*-No. Doesn't ring a bell at all.

There are plenty of Girards here,

it's a common name. I can ask your father.

- No, no. It was just out of curiosity.

*-Why?

- Nothing, it's a work thing.

*-Are you investigating them?

- No, Mom. I investigate police officers.

*-Well, they could be police officers.

- Forget it, it's nothing. *-Who are her parents?

- I have no idea. Drop it.

Meowing.

Who are you?

How did you get in back here?

Meowing

Come here.

What are we going to do with you?

Meowing

*YouTube tutorial in English

*-In recent days, the neighborhood has been barricading,

while police are deploying on the Champs-Élysées.

There are more officers than last week.

Armored gendarmerie vehicles have been deployed.

In an extremely tense atmosphere,

the government is holding its breath while shopkeepers

protect a lifetime of work.

The question is whether wooden boards will be enough

to prevent looting...

Phone ringing

TV sound cuts off.

- Yes, sweetheart.

*-Am I bothering you?

- No, I'm fine. Where are you?

*-I'm in Dad's car.

People are fighting. - What do you mean?

*-Two guys got into it, they're beating each other up.

Look.

You see? - Yes.

*-Oh, damn!

*-Want another one?

- Don't move from the car. Where's your dad?

*-Hold on.

- You didn't answer me,

are you alone? Where's your dad?

*-He's running.

- He's running? Where are you?

*-At Lac de Choisy.

Dad wanted me to run, but I got tired of it.

I'm waiting for them. - Who's he with?

*-Noélie, his new girlfriend.

- Ah.

*-She's in the police.

- In narcotics with him?

*-I just know she's a cop.

I have photos, do you want to see her?

- Oh, no, no, no.

What would I do with that?

*-To see what she looks like. I won't tell him.

- No. Come on!

That's not appropriate.

And I'm not interested. Hold on.

I've got a new friend too.

*-He's so cute.

Laughing

Did you buy him?

- I found him in the building's garage.

*-Are we keeping him? - I don't think so.

A pet is a big responsibility.

*-I'll take care of him.

- Sure you will.

We'll talk about it Monday.

Stay put. I'm calling your dad.

*Dial tone

*-Yes. - It's Steph.

*-Yeah. Hey.

- You left Victor hanging in a parking lot? That's not okay.

*-It's fine. He ran with us,

and he stopped, he was tired.

- There were 2 guys fighting near the car.

*-What?

I told him to call me if anything came up. Why did he call you?

- Maybe he didn't want to bother you.

*-Ah, OK. I see.

- No, no, you don't see anything. I don't care who you run with,

but don't leave Victor alone in a parking lot.

*-I'm heading back to the car to see what's going on.

Ciao. - Ciao.

- We, Stéphanie Bertrand, Police Commander at the IGPN,

request and if necessary require Bichat Hospital to inform us

of the health status of Mr. Guillaume Girard,

admitted to your services on December 8, 2018,

and to advise us when his condition

will allow for questioning.

- We request and if necessary require the Captain

of the Paris Fire Brigade to provide us with

all details pertaining to an emergency response,

dated 08/12/2018, involving

a male subject, age 20,

by the name of Guillaume Girard, in the Triomphe sector, 75008.

- We request and if necessary require the Sentencing Bureau

to inform us at which penitentiary

Mr. Rémi Cordier was transferred

following his conviction

on December 10, 2018, before the Paris Criminal Court.

- We note having received a response

to the requisition addressed to the fire brigade.

This letter documents a response

on December 8, 2018, at 18:43,

Rue Magellan, in the 8th arrondissement.

- We note having received a response

from the trauma unit of Bichat Hospital

to requisition no. 2018-0023.

This email contains a medical report

on the injuries of Mr. Guillaume Girard.

The findings are as follows:

quintuple craniofacial fracture extending to the temporal bone,

craniocerebral wound

with severe subarachnoid hemorrhage.

The hematoma and injuries are consistent with an impact

from an LBD 40 round. Mr. Girard is suffering

from aphasia and post-traumatic stress disorder.

He is currently unable to be questioned.

Please find attached authorization from the prosecutor's office

to question detainee Rémi Cordier

and please propose a date and time

for his questioning

at your facility, Fleury-Mérogis Remand Prison.

Beeping

Door unlocking

- Good morning, Mr. Cordier. I'm Commander Bertrand from the IGPN,

the General Inspectorate of the National Police.

My colleague, Major Guérini.

We're investigating the circumstances of Mr. Girard's injuries.

You were with him at the time of the incident. Is that correct?

- Yeah.

- We'd like to hear your account as a witness.

- I don't even know how he's doing.

- His life is no longer in danger,

but he's unable to be questioned.

- What does that mean?

Will he have lasting damage?

- I don't know.

- Those sons of bitches messed him up, and he didn't do anything.

- Lower your voice.

Speak properly, please.

- Have you found them,

the cops who did this?

- We ask the questions. - Because you're going to believe me?

At the tribunal, they didn't listen to me.

It lasted 5 minutes. All that mattered

was an arrest report that said

I'd attacked the cops. That's false.

- We're not here

to investigate your arrest,

but what happened to Mr. Girard.

We need your testimony to understand.

- If it's my word against theirs, it's pointless.

- Who did you come to protest with in Paris?

- Sonia, her brothers and her mother. - Sonia, Antonin,

Guillaume and Joëlle Girard? - Mmh.

- We arrived from Saint-Dizier that morning.

It was Anto and I who came up with the idea.

- We're not really Yellow Vests.

My mom and Rémi are nursing assistants,

I'm a hospital porter.

We're fed up with being paid next to nothing,

so we wanted to take part.

And it was a chance to come to Paris.

- SHE TOLD ME TO GO AND WHISTLE UP ON THE HILL

TO WAIT FOR HER WITH A SMALL BOUQUET OF WILD ROSES

I PICKED THE FLOWERS

AND I WHISTLED AS LOUD AS I COULD

I WAITED AND WAITED SHE NEVER CAME

ZAÏ-ZAÏ-ZAÏ-ZAÏ

- Joëlle! - Zaï-zaï-zaï-zaï

- Come on, Mom! - ZAÏ-ZAÏ-ZAÏ-ZAÏ

- Zaï-zaï-zaï-zaï - Hey!

- Yeah! - Wooh-oh!

Honking

Cheering

- Let's go!

- To Paris!

- Do you protest often? - No.

It's the first time I've been up to Paris.

We parked the car near an entrance.

- We didn't really know where the protest was.

We walked along the Seine.

- We got stopped several times.

- Don't you want to join us?

Come on, don't you?

- Stop filming!

- We really walked a lot, my feet were killing me.

- We took the opportunity to do some sightseeing.

It was a good excuse.

Honking

- Wow! Look at that.

Police sirens

- It was a change from Saint-Dizier.

- We joined up with some Yellow Vests heading to the Champs-Élysées.

- On the Champs-Élysées, there were a lot of people.

Police sirens and tear gas

- We could smell the tear gas.

Things were getting intense near the Arc de Triomphe.

There was a helicopter overhead.

- We tried to leave, but we ended up blocked by police officers.

MACRON DOESN'T WANT US

WE ARE HERE!

WE ARE HERE

WE ARE HERE

EVEN IF MACRON DOESN'T WANT US WE ARE HERE

- They ended up throwing tear gas at us.

Tear gas grenades being fired

- Come on, come on.

- We took shelter in a laundromat.

A protester got arrested, it was terrifying.

- Ah! Aaaah! Damn!

- Come on, move it! Calm down! Hey!

- Ah!

Ouch! Damn!

- Then it started getting dark.

We tried to get back through the Champs-Élysées to leave.

- It wasn't possible. It was...

Tear gas grenades were falling everywhere.

People were running in all directions.

Tear gas grenades being fired

Dark music

- We realized we'd lost Guillaume and Rémi.

- We had no idea where they'd gone.

- Guillaume and I found ourselves in some streets,

we'd lost the others.

- Go on.

- We tried to make our way back toward the Champs-Élysées.

And cops appeared out of nowhere, and opened fire on us.

- They fired at you, without any reason?

- Yeah. We were going down a street,

they came out of an intersection, from the right.

I took off running, I thought Guillaume was following me.

When I didn't see him, I retraced my steps.

The cops were gone.

Guillaume was on the ground.

His head was covered in blood.

I panicked and called the firefighters.

- Were the police officers in uniform or plainclothes?

- Plainclothes, I think.

- Were they wearing police armbands?

- I don't know, I didn't see.

- How did you know they were police officers?

- What kind of question is that?

They were cops, they had rubber bullet guns.

- Did you behave aggressively? - No.

- You said nothing,

made no threatening gesture? - No.

I ran and yelled at Guillaume to get out of there.

- Why?

- "Why?" I was scared.

They had their weapons raised!

- Had you taken part in any looting

or violence against police? - No.

- You're sure?

- Yes.

- In your phone there are videos of cars on fire.

Did you

take part in that kind of vandalism?

- No.

- Are you drawn to or fascinated by violence?

- No.

- So why film the burning cars?

- I don't know.

It was.

- It was what? - It was...

- I don't know.

- Are you politically active? - What do you mean?

- Do you belong to any political movement, extremist,

far right, far left? - No.

I'm not interested in politics.

- Mr. Cordier, you were arrested around 7:40 PM,

an hour after the incident, for contempt, resisting arrest, and assault.

Can you explain the circumstances of your arrest?

- I stayed in the streets to find those cops.

- Why? - I was angry.

I wanted to find them.

To photograph them, film them.

To have proof.

- Proof of what?

- Well, that it was them, that they were there.

- And then?

- I came face to face with riot police along with other protesters.

They were blocking the way, firing tear gas at us.

I was so furious I started yelling insults at them.

Some officers rushed at me

and tackled me to the ground.

- You assaulted the officers.

- That's not true. They were the ones hitting me.

- Among the videos,

in your phone,

one shows the firefighters treating Mr. Girard.

Why did you film that?

- To show what the cops had done to Guillaume.

*-What happened? *-He got hit by a rubber bullet gun.

*-In the head? *-In the head.

*-It's an LBD shot. We're taking him.

*-OK, understood.

*-Ready to lift. Lift.

Please, sir, let us do our job.

- Was it around here? - The fire truck was there.

- There are no blood traces left.

- The cleanup crew must have come through the next day.

They cleaned everything up.

- Things don't hang around here long.

- What's behind this hotel?

- Prince de Galles.

- We request and if necessary require

the Logistics Services Department

to provide us with the video footage

from the following PZVP cameras for the day

of December 8, 2018, from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM:

camera 08021, avenue George V, rue de la Trémoille.

camera 08371, Champs-Élysées, corner of rue Bassano,

camera 08115, avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie,

camera 73532, Champs-Élysées, corner of George V,

camera 08118, rue Marbœuf, avenue George V.

- This is camera 08115, avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie.

Behind the main confrontation, in the background,

a group of 5 people moves down rue Georges Bizet.

The image is unclear, but we pick them up again

on a clinic's camera on rue Georges Bizet.

The timestamps match. 18:17 for the PZVP,

18:18 for Georges Bizet.

They're in plainclothes and helmeted.

The first two appear to be carrying LBDs.

At least the first one.

The second is wearing shin guards.

You see that? - Mmh.

- Then, at 18:22, I pick them up again on the camera

at an ATM, avenue Marceau,

rue de Chaillot. It's the same group —

you can match the sneakers.

The shin guards are visible.

Three of them are equipped with LBDs.

The other two have telescopic batons.

LBD, baton, baton, and LBD.

If we follow their route on a map,

they're coming from Pierre 1er de Serbie,

then Georges Bizet.

They must have turned onto rue de Chaillot, then onto avenue Marceau.

They end up opposite Quentin Bauchart.

They could have taken

rue Quentin Bauchart, which leads to rue Magellan where Guillaume

was injured.

- Go back to Georges Bizet?

What plainclothes units

were operating in that area at that time?

- That's where it gets complicated.

We went through the operational telegram, the OPT,

the Pegasus report, the radio traffic.

For uniformed units, it's clear,

but for the BAC, the BRI, the CS, the CSI,

in the end, they were moving on their own initiative.

The government was in such a panic

that they called in everyone available.

In reality, it was complete chaos.

- What was your rank and role during the protest?

- I'm a police captain,

I commanded the BAC units 11, 12, 19 and 20.

- I'm a police major,

with the 9 plainclothes sections of the security company

under my command,

under the orders of Commander Baron.

- Chief Superintendent.

I commanded the BRI units.

The DGPN had exceptionally asked us

to provide support to the disoriented mobile forces.

- I headed one of the rapid action detachments.

DAR 5, consisting of 25 officers,

drawn from the BAC 93 and 92, and from local precincts.

- I'm a police major, I had the BAC 92 under my command.

- Can you specify what

your missions were? - Prevent looting

and neutralize violent individuals.

- Target the rioters, protect uniformed colleagues.

- The Republic was in danger,

we had to stop the insurrection.

We had to do our part in the war effort.

- Those were the instructions: save the Republic,

do your part in the war effort? - Yes.

- Is crowd control your area?

- No.

- No.

- What are your missions?

- Don't you know what the BRI does?

- Please answer my question.

Please.

- Intervention operations in the context of organized crime,

hostage situations, and terrorism.

- Combating urban violence,

catching offenders in the act on public roads.

- Had you been trained for crowd control?

- No. Everything happened with a certain...

rush. The government was in a panic.

- We were asked to intervene

in complete improvisation.

Some officers had to gear up at Decathlon.

- What weapons did you have?

- LBD 40.

- GM2L grenades.

- Our service weapons.

- Dispersal grenades and pepper spray.

- Did you use your LBD40s?

- Yes. We were facing very determined rioters.

- Yes, of course. On numerous occasions.

- Yeah. I approved around sixty shots.

- Did you fill out the shot report forms?

- I waived that requirement for my men, given the situation.

- No. In that kind of situation,

the TSUA forms are filled out at the end of the shift

indicating a broad time window.

- We filled them out the next day, not for each individual shot.

- You're required to.

- Yes. Except it was impossible then.

- I'm telling you it was impossible.

- It was practically insurrectional.

This was not standard crowd control.

- Were there any shots

that required emergency services to intervene?

- Not that I know of.

- Not to my knowledge, no.

The people who were hit ran off.

I didn't see any casualties.

- I'm going to show you a photo taken the evening of December 8.

Could this be a unit from your forces?

- Hard to make much out.

No, I don't think so.

- No.

- Did you cross any units that would match

the group in these images?

- No. Nothing rings a bell.

- Not in my memory, no.

- No.

- Éric found footage matching our guys.

He found a journalist's video

shot at the corner of rue Vernet and rue Bassano.

It's at 18:29,

so 7 minutes after they passed

the ATM on avenue Marceau.

You see, they appear here.

Same group, same number of people, same weapons.

We can see them more clearly than in the other videos.

After that, they disappear.

I'll play it back in close-up.

- The first two have LBDs,

the third one pulls down his balaclava.

The last one too, he has an LBD.

And the third one, when he pulls down his balaclava...

There.

There we go.

You can see his face pretty clearly.

And there, look.

If they were on av. Marceau at 18:22,

they could have gone down the street where Girard was injured,

then back up avenue George V, and be at Vernet-Bassano by 18:29.

I've got screenshots from where you can see them best.

Did you see their helmets?

- That's good.

- Yeah!

- OH...

Applause

- Damn!

- Yes!

Upbeat music

- Yeah, yeah.

Pins knocked down

- Ah, no! Just one!

- Yes, nice shot!

- It's annoying, she's got a terrible style.

- What? - No, no, I wasn't talking about you.

I could never talk about you like that.

- Come on!

- No, use the other hand. - Come on, play, play.

- Wait, wait. Focus.

- There's some spin on it. Look.

Oh my goodness!

- Step up your game!

- There's a big slope. - I'm going for refills.

Do you want some? - I'll come with you.

- Oh no. - What?

- My ex is here.

Four more beers, please.

Oh, hey! - Hey. How's it going?

- Great. And you?

Sorry, you? Hello.

- Hello. - Noélie. Stéphanie.

- His ex. - Victor's mom.

- That's right. - I see.

Can I ask you something? - Sure.

- You work at the IGPN? - Yes.

- And before that you were in narcotics? - Yes. With Jérémy.

- I wonder how you can go from one to the other.

How you can investigate colleagues

instead of criminals. - Noélie.

- I'm just curious. - That's not how I see it.

- Is that so? - No.

But I don't want to talk about it here.

We're here to unwind. - Of course, unwind.

Us, with the union, we're here to support each other.

- Right.

- You don't mind that I'm in the union?

- Not at all.

- We're here to defend our colleagues.

We're sick and tired of police-bashing.

With your investigations, you cast suspicion

on the entire work of police officers.

- I believe exactly the opposite. But anyway.

- Steph, your turn.

- Oh, that was good!

- Losers go first.

- Let's go!

- Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes!

Cheering

- You've called me in twice now,

for a matter that doesn't concern the BRI.

You're wasting your time, and you're wasting mine.

We have more important missions.

- Nobody wants to waste time.

If you cooperate, this will be quick.

Here are screenshots from a video

filmed by a journalist on the evening

of December 8, 2018.

Could these men be from the BRI?

- I don't know.

- There's one you can see clearly.

- I don't know who that is.

- What do you make of the helmets they're wearing?

- No opinion. - Three of those helmets

are Wendy helmets from the BRI.

- I'm not a specialist.

- The other two have non-regulation helmets.

- You're bringing me in here to find out

if helmets are regulation or not?

- During your last questioning, you stated:

"We were asked to intervene in complete improvisation.

"My men had to gear up at Decathlon."

Do you confirm this statement? - I don't remember.

- I'm showing you the product sheet

for the Oxelo helmet, sold at Decathlon.

What do you think when comparing it to the helmets in the footage?

- I have no idea.

There's a resemblance, but nothing proves they're the same ones.

My men aren't the only ones with personal helmets

or who may have bought gear at Decathlon.

- We have issued requisitions to Decathlon stores

to find out who purchased Oxelo helmets before the protest.

We could save some time,

if you provide us with the names of your officers.

I can also summon all BRI members

to identify those in the video.

But that would disrupt your operations.

I'll let you get back to me?

We note that the names of the BRI members

provided by Chief Superintendent Frédéric Picard are:

Clément Garcia, Michel Brzezenski, Arnaud Lavallée,

Sébastien Jacquet, Mickael Fages.

- Mr. Garcia, do you recognize yourself in this image?

- Yes.

- Can you confirm you were in the company of Mickael Fages,

Sébastien Jacquet, Arnaud Lavallée and Michel Brzezenski?

- They're not very clear.

- I can identify Clément Garcia and Arnaud Lavallée.

For the others, I'm less certain.

- Were you together on the evening of December 8?

- Yes. A big night for the BRI.

- You were moving

in a small group. Wasn't that risky in that kind of conflict?

- We split up to use the bathroom in a café.

And it took us a while to regroup.

- Which café? - I don't remember.

- Where did you regroup?

- On the Champs-Élysées.

- Whereabouts?

- Closer to the top end.

- Do you remember which streets you took?

- Side streets, I don't know which ones.

- In the videos,

you're seen on avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie,

rue Georges Bizet, avenue Marceau and rue Vernet.

What do you say to that?

- I wasn't paying attention to street names.

- But is that your group in those videos?

- Yes.

It looks like it, yes.

- Mr. Brzezenski, do you confirm

you had an LBD40? - Yes.

- Other than you, who else was equipped with an LBD?

- Lavallée and Fages.

- Did you use them on your way toward the Champs-Élysées?

- Possibly.

- We had to fire to keep hostile individuals at a distance.

Some of those individuals were very violent.

- Did your shots cause any injuries?

- Sure, some of them probably got some bruises.

- Injuries requiring emergency services.

- Not that I can remember.

- I don't think so, no.

- Around 6:30 PM, a 20-year-old man

was hit in the head by an LBD, on rue Magellan.

What do you say to that?

- Doesn't mean anything to me.

- I don't know, it doesn't ring a bell.

- Did 2 protesters provoke

your colleague into firing an LBD?

- No.

- Were you in that area?

- I don't remember any such incident.

- It was a very hectic day.

- You didn't see any injured protesters?

- No.

- No.

- No, no.

- I don't remember any injured protesters.

- They say there were confrontations,

and shots fired, but they can't place or describe them.

None of them remember a protester being injured by an LBD shot.

*-There's a good chance one of them fired the shot that hit Mr. Girard.

- Yes, but we don't know the circumstances.

*-Have you questioned Guillaume Girard?

- In writing. He's just starting to recover his speech.

Same account as Rémi Cordier:

everything happened very fast and he showed no hostility.

*-What do you think?

- I have no personal opinion.

The BRI colleagues are not being very cooperative,

but nothing proves they acted outside the legal framework.

It may be impossible to know the truth.

Meowing and honking

- How many days are we staying in Saint-Dizier?

- The whole week.

- There's nothing to do there, it's boring.

- There are the Rafales.

- Great.

- Grandma's going to spoil you.

I bet she's made her gratin.

What's Yaourt up to?

- I think he's fed up with being cooped up.

Honking

- Put the yellow vest on, in the front?

It should be in the glove compartment.

- REBEL CITIZENS! ANGRY YELLOW VESTS!

ANGRY YELLOW VESTS! ANGRY CITIZENS!

- With us!

Fighter jet flying overhead

- Victor, can you help?

- Leave him, he's playing with the cat.

You should post videos, there are loads of them online.

I'm sure Yaourt would get lots of views.

- Dad, don't you want to buy a dishwasher?

- I like doing the dishes.

Laughing

- They're so cute!

Oh!

Did you see how it jumps?

That one's hilarious.

Oh...

- Your mother spends

more time watching videos than talking to me.

- It's better than the horrors on TV.

If everyone did what I do, the world would be better off.

At least it's not violent.

- These videos get billions of views,

and the world is still just as violent.

If anything,

they stop people from thinking.

- Not at all, they make you think about other things.

- When we've lost our minds and our democracy,

you'll wonder if you watched

too many cat videos.

- You just have no heart.

He killed a mole with his spade. Just like that.

- Did he? - With his spade, just like that.

- They're destroying my lawn.

- Your lawn. You're violent.

You're violent, Gérard, that's all there is to it.

She laughs.

Fighter jet squadron flying overhead

What's left besides the cat food and the litter?

- Hépar.

- I'll take care of Grandma's water.

Go and get the cat food and the cat litter.

It's at the back on the left. - OK.

*Store music Europe: "The Final Countdown"

- Excuse me.

Excuse me!

We know who you are.

What are you doing here?

Are you following us?

- No. Not at all.

- So what are you doing here?

- I'm doing my shopping.

- Here? In Saint-Dizier?

- Yes.

- We saw you watching us.

- Why would I be watching you?

- I don't know. To spy on us.

- I have no reason to spy on you.

- Maybe it's not you,

but the background check on Guillaume?

All the awful things going around on social media,

saying he deserved it. - He's being made out to be a criminal.

- I have nothing to do with that,

I came to visit my parents.

- What are you talking about? - The truth.

I was born here, in Saint-Dizier.

- You're making that up.

- No. I grew up here. I'm with my son,

we're doing our shopping.

- Show me your ID. - Excuse me?

- Your identity card.

I don't have my glasses, you check.

- Born in Saint-Dizier.

- Who are your parents?

- Sylvie and Gérard Bertrand.

- Sylvie Bertrand?

- Yes.

- In Marnaval? - Yes.

- Do you know her?

- About 2 years ago, she broke her wrist.

I used to come help with her care.

- See, I'm not lying.

- How is the investigation going?

Nobody tells us anything.

- It's ongoing.

It's a preliminary investigation, it takes time.

I'm not supposed to be in contact with you.

- Why? Rémi, in 10 minutes, he was convicted.

- He did 3 months in prison.

He lost his job.

With a criminal record, he'll never find work again.

- You don't care about that, do you?

What does it matter to you?

- It takes time, but we're not indifferent.

You need to be patient.

- It's been months! - Tell us if the investigation is making progress.

- I'm sorry, there's nothing I can tell you.

- Of course.

Come on, Sonia, let's go.

- I'm disgusted.

If I were you, I'd be ashamed.

- Don't bother. Come on.

- Who is that?

Are they Yellow Vests?

- No. You can see they weren't wearing yellow vests.

- They could be undercover Yellow Vests.

- I asked you if you knew her.

- I know.

- So you did know her. - Well, yes.

I couldn't remember her name.

Maybe she hadn't told me.

I only knew her first name.

Gisèle, was it? - No, Joëlle.

- You see, I can't even remember.

Her son got badly beaten up during the protests.

- Mom, are you doing this on purpose or what?

Can't you make the connection with my job?

- You're investigating it? - Who else would it be?

- Why are you getting upset?

- It's unbelievable that you pay so little attention to what I say.

- I do pay attention.

I hope they're not going to sweep it under the rug.

- Don't you start too.

Do you realize, you're talking about my work!

I'm not there to cover things up!

No! It's quite the opposite.

We have the hearings,

the requisitions, the reports to write.

Cases like this one, we have dozens of them.

- I didn't say anything.

- You say whatever comes into your head,

without even thinking.

Do you have any idea what the police go through

for crowd control? No.

Do you know how many officers were injured at the protests?

- You don't maim people who haven't done anything.

- Were you there? Did you see something? No!

So you know nothing, you keep quiet.

- I'll keep quiet.

I'm allowed to feel for that young man.

- I'd like to move to the National Directorate.

They get interesting integrity cases,

not our thankless work.

- Under Decroly?

- You won't last. - I'm at the IGPN

to catch corrupt cops, not colleagues.

There are complaints after every protest.

- Right now, that's all we do.

- I agreed with the Yellow Vests.

On the issues, they're right.

- Then things spiraled, really spiraled.

The guys are fed up.

They're on the front line to restore order,

and the moment anything goes wrong, they get blamed.

- They get talked down to, treated like kids.

And yet, nobody even talks to their own kids that way anymore.

So on duty, they let loose.

- A superintendent said his guys were letting rip

like in a video game.

- Did you see the footage of the BAC firing

and saying: "That's a vote, that's a vote." Every shot: "That's a vote."

- Victor,

turn it off!

*-He got hit with a rubber bullet gun.

*-In the head? *-In the head.

*-Guys, it's an LBD shot. We're taking him.

*-Ready to lift. Lift.

- Victor!

*-Please, sir, let us do our job.

- Victor, turn it off.

- Yeah, I'm just finishing my chapter.

- Then you turn it off. - Mmh.

- All right, good night.

- Mom.

- Yes?

- Why does everyone hate the police?

- What?

No, that's not true.

Not everyone hates them.

What are you talking about? - Yes they do.

You and Dad don't notice it,

you only know police officers.

But nobody likes the police.

- That's... That's nonsense.

During the terrorist attacks, people were applauding us.

- That was a long time ago.

- No it wasn't.

- Yes it was.

- Your friends tell you they don't like the police?

- Not just my friends. There's graffiti too.

- What graffiti? - ACAB.

All cops are bastards.

- I know what that means.

The people who write that are idiots.

Sigh.

OK... Fine. I...

You're right. There are quite a few people

who say they don't like the police.

But it's not a majority, and they're glad it exists.

- That's not the problem.

- What is it then?

- I've already told you. Nobody likes the police.

- And...

The point isn't about liking the police.

It's not an easy job to love.

If you enforce the law, you don't make many friends.

The real question is whether people have trust

in police officers and in their work.

Alright. You finish your chapter, and then you turn it off?

Intriguing music

Chair scraping

- This is the one?

- Yeah.

Good morning. - Good morning.

- Police. We'd like to speak with the management.

- Of course, ma'am. One moment, please.

- Your colleagues came by.

They had our camera recordings

and had spoken with several guests.

- We have the reports.

- Mr. Santoni? - Yes.

- This lady and gentleman are police officers.

They're looking into the events of December 8.

He's our head of security.

- It concerns a window overlooking rue Quentin Bauchart.

- That one, there.

- It's on the 3rd floor.

That must be room 316.

- Yes, it is room 316. - A junior suite.

- There was a witness at that window.

Who was staying in the suite that day?

- We can check.

He knocks on the door.

Ms. Gaziorek? - Yes.

- Can we check whether room 316 was occupied

on the evening of December 8? - Of course.

Yes, it was occupied by a couple from Monaco.

They checked out the next day.

- Were they in the room around 6:30 PM?

- Yes. - When a guest enters,

it's logged.

- We have several entries,

guests in the early morning.

The last one is at 10:30.

They left and came back at 9:32 PM.

And for staff, there's an entry at 1:44 PM.

That must be the housemaid. Then 3:07 PM, and um.

a last one at 6:19 PM.

- Turndown service. - What's that?

- The housekeepers who prepare the room for the night.

They fold back the covers, leave out the slippers...

- Do you know who it was?

- Yes. Each badge has its own personal code.

Ms. Gaziorek?

- Of course.

Alicia. Mady.

- Is she on duty today?

- Yes. Yes, yes.

Second shift. Noon to 7 PM.

- We'd like to speak to her and see room 316. Is that possible?

- If the suite is free, yes.

Room service?

After you.

- Thank you.

- Ms. Mady won't be long.

- Wow!

He sighs.

- If you don't mind my asking,

how much does a suite cost?

- It varies depending on the time of year,

a junior suite is 2,000 euros. - 2,000 euros?

- Room service.

- Excuse me.

- 2,000 bucks, damn.

- Hello. I'm Mr. Santoni, the security manager.

I don't know if we've met. These are police officers,

they're conducting an investigation. - Hello, ma'am.

- I'll let you ask the questions?

- Yes. If you don't mind,

it would actually be better if you left us.

- If you need anything, don't hesitate. - Thank you.

- Go ahead.

- We're investigators at the IGPN.

Do you know what that is? - Not really.

- We investigate misconduct by police officers.

- We're not investigating you. You've done nothing wrong.

- An incident took place on this street,

on December 8 during the protest.

Around 6:30 PM.

They say you were in this suite

for the turndown service.

Can you confirm that?

- If they say so, it must be true.

- Following this incident,

someone was seriously injured

and a complaint was filed.

We're trying to find out what happened.

- I understand completely.

- Did you see anything? - No.

- No? When you were at the window,

what did you see in the street?

- Who said I was at the window?

- We have a video where you can be seen at this window.

Just tell us what you saw.

- I saw the firefighters.

- But before that?

You were watching before the firefighters arrived. - No.

- It's very important that you talk to us.

We want to reconstruct what actually happened.

Your testimony could help us.

- I saw the firefighters tending to an injured person.

- Did you see how he was injured?

- I went to the window when I heard the fire truck siren.

- You're being cautious.

We're not trying to trap you.

- I don't know what to say.

I'm not going to make up something I didn't see.

- Alright.

I'll give you my card,

in case anything comes back to you.

I'll write my personal number on it.

You can reach me at any hour.

- We'll let you get back to work.

- We handled that badly.

- I don't think so.

- There's something she's not saying. - You think?

Subpoena her, it always has an effect.

- I'm not sure.

She might just shut down even more.

Police siren

- Here, look at this.

- What is it?

- Soap.

- Did you steal it?

- It's just a soap, I wouldn't call that stealing.

Wow, it smells nice. Do you want it? - Ah, no thank you.

- Are you sure? I have two. - Ha!

- Bye, have a good evening.

Suspense music

- Good evening, ladies. - Good evening.

Bye. See you tomorrow. Take care.

Chatter

Doors beeping closed

Distant conversations

Train carriage noise

Phone ringing

- Yes, Victor.

*-I'm at home, where are you? Are you coming back soon?

- I'm still at work, I'll be back a bit later.

*-What? I can't hear you.

- I'll be home later. - Hello?

- Hold on, don't hang up.

Victor, are you there?

*-Yes? What's going on?

- Nothing. I'll be home later.

*-I made dinner and it's getting cold.

- Oh, shoot. What did you make? *-The quiche

and nuggets. - You didn't have to make both.

It's fine. It's great.

*-I'll wait for you. - No. Start without me.

*-So do I eat the quiche or the nuggets?

- Whatever you feel like.

I've got to go. Kisses, see you later.

Phone dropping

Damn.

Commuters moving around

Ms. Mady.

Ms. Mady.

Can we have a word?

We could go to a café.

- I don't have time.

- I need you to help me.

- I told you I didn't see anything.

- I know, but I don't believe you.

- I'm not a liar. - I don't think you are,

but you're not telling me everything.

- Excuse me, I'd like to go home.

RER train braking

Doors beeping closed

- Sorry.

Excuse me.

- Are you going to follow me all the way home?

- If I have to.

- Are you allowed to do that? - Not really.

But it's important.

You need to tell me what you saw.

I understand that you're scared.

When it comes to police officers, you're afraid no one will believe you.

- I don't want trouble with the police.

- So you did see something.

- You won't get in any trouble. - How do you know that?

There won't be any retaliation against you.

You managed to track me down just fine.

- Officers who cross the line must not be allowed to do it again.

That kind of officer must be held accountable.

- That never happens. - Why do you say that?

- Because it's the truth.

I see it around here.

The BAC stop young people.

They provoke them, wind them up,

they take them away, they beat them.

They write false reports,

all the time. They're never held accountable.

I filmed everything.

- You filmed it?

- Yeah.

There was noise in the street.

I saw some guys around a burning scooter.

I filmed it on my phone.

Just out of curiosity.

And the police officers showed up.

- Do you have the video? - Yes.

I wanted to post it online, and then I said no.

When it happens to Black people or Arabs, nobody cares.

Now it happens to a white person,

and I'm supposed to do something about it?

Would you have come if it hadn't happened to a white person?

- Yes. The IGPN also investigates officers in the suburbs.

- Oh really? And how many were convicted?

- The IGPN doesn't decide, but officers have been convicted.

- Convicted? At worst they got a suspended sentence.

Nobody dares to get on the wrong side of the police.

How many were dismissed?

How many?

- Dismissed, none.

- None?

You see. None.

- Trust me, please hand over the video.

- I don't have it on me. It's at home.

- I can come with you.

- You don't trust me?

- Alright.

You still have my card?

- Yes.

You know it won't change anything.

Door opening

Door closing

- Hey, you. No, no, no.

That's not for you.

Come on.

Voicemail

*Laughing

*-Come on, guys, what's going on?

Aren't you tired? Time to head back.

What are you going to do?

Come on, come here. You're done, man.

They're coming! They're coming!

Get out of here!

Get out of here!

*-Run! Run!

*Gunshot

- Hey. - Hey.

- Hey. - Hey.

- Benoit, I've got something to show you.

- On my way.

*Laughing

*-Come on, guys! What's going on?

Aren't you tired? Time to head back.

What are you going to do?

Come on, come here. You're done, man. Come on!

They're coming! They're coming!

Get out of here!

Get out of here!

*-Run! Run!

*Gunshot

*Rubber bullet gun reloading

*Police siren

*-Go!

*Car alarm

*-Guillaume.

Guillaume!

- OK.

- Can you play it from the beginning?

*-Come on, guys.

- Where are Girard and Cordier?

- They're coming. Look.

*-What's going on?

- They're not with the others? - No. They're coming down the street.

*-Come on, come here. You're done, man.

They're coming! They're coming!

Get out of here!

Get out of here!

- There, they come face to face with the BRI.

Rémi is on the left, Guillaume on the right.

He has his phone in his hand.

*-Run! Run!

*Gunshot

- Two of them are firing. - Yes.

Look at the LBDs. - Run! Run!

- They fire at the same time.

- 2 shots, but only one hit. - That's right.

- They're shooting at someone who's running away.

That's not self-defense.

- They got hit with a can.

- At this point, no one is threatening them.

- Guillaume turns around while running.

- Really? You're sure?

- Yes.

- Let me see.

*-Run! Run!

- Right, he turns around

to see what they're doing. - He turns around.

- Does that justify a shot? He's running, he's not threatening.

- I didn't say that. But they could use it.

- It's a retaliatory shot. Some idiot throws a can,

and they shoot at the first person they come across.

- There's also the kick.

- No, but seriously,

what is that guy doing?

- I agree, he's out of line.

- And they just walk away.

Calmly.

It's disgusting.

- Can you tell who's doing what?

- Yes.

The kick is Fages.

Lavallée is beside him. At the bottom, Jacquet and Garcia.

Brzezenski is further down the street.

- The shots, that's Fages and Lavallée?

- Yes.

*-Guillaume.

Guillaume.

*-Is the video on social media?

- No. The witness hasn't posted it.

*-Good. We'll be able to work more smoothly.

Have you called them back in?

- I was waiting to debrief with you first.

Three of the five are not in mainland France.

*-Where are they? - They were sent to Mayotte.

Brzezenski, Jacquet and Garcia.

*-Right. We're not waiting for them to come back.

Question Lavallée and Fages, the main suspects.

- Should I put them in custody?

*-That's not what I had in mind.

- They lied, if we lose the element of surprise, they'll coordinate.

*-What's gotten into you?

Usually it's the prosecutor's office that pushes for custody

and the investigators who hold back.

- They don't know the video exists,

I can confront them with their contradictions.

*-If you question them simultaneously,

they won't be able to coordinate. Work it out with your team.

- Understood.

*-Goodbye, Commander Bertrand. - Goodbye.

Knocking on the door.

- Lavallée is downstairs at reception.

- And Fages?

- He's not coming.

- Excuse me?

- Medical certificate. He's on sick leave.

- Is he taking the piss? - What do we do?

Do you want me to reschedule both of them

once Fages is available? - Damn it.

Go get him.

- Got it.

- During your first questioning,

you stated that you had no memory

of a protester being injured by an LBD shot.

Do you stand by that statement? - Yes.

- You did not fire a shot that injured

a protester around 6:30 PM?

- No.

- Nor any of your colleagues?

- Not that I know of.

- I'm going to show you a video.

*-Come on, guys, what's going on?

Aren't you tired? Time to head back!

Come on, come here. You're done, man.

They're coming!

They're coming! Get out of here!

*-Run!

Run!

*Gunshot

- Does this footage bring back this incident?

- Not in every detail.

- Can you describe what we're seeing?

- Rioters are hurling insults and throwing a projectile.

They flee when they see us.

Our group arrives.

We find ourselves face to face with two hostile individuals.

Fages and I fire a shot to protect our colleagues.

- Do you think these individuals are behaving in a hostile manner?

- All the protesters were hostile.

They'll tell you the opposite. If you listen to them,

you'd wonder who was committing the violence,

who was looting shops, trashing the streets.

- I'm talking to you about these two individuals,

the ones standing right in front of you.

In what way did their behavior justify firing?

A shot must be necessary

and proportionate.

- They're running away.

So they have something to answer for.

And one of them throws a projectile at us.

- Where do you see him winding up to throw?

- In the way he turned.

It's not clear on the video, but I didn't have the same vantage point.

To me, his movement was unambiguous.

He was threatening.

I didn't want to risk

us taking a bolt right in the face.

In a situation of self-defense,

you have to react fast.

- Certainly.

You're not facing terrorists,

but two unarmed protesters.

- That's your opinion. - That's what the footage shows.

- Many protesters

turned into wild animals.

And a bolt can kill.

- It's an overstatement to describe Mr. Girard's behavior

as that of a wild animal. He's running

with his back to you.

What did you do once Mr. Girard was on the ground?

- I don't remember. We probably...

continued moving forward.

- Mr. Girard was struck in the head.

He was seriously injured.

- That's not the impression I had. I didn't aim at his head.

- Was it Mr. Fages' shot that hit Mr. Girard?

- I know that I didn't aim at his head

and neither did my colleague.

- So you're stating that after the shot,

you continued moving forward.

- Yes.

- I'm going to show you the rest of the video.

*Police siren

What do you see?

- It's not very clear.

It looks like my colleague is pushing him away with his foot.

- That's a kick.

- I don't know. Maybe.

I don't remember that gesture.

- And now, seeing Mr. Fages' action on the video,

does it seem justified to you?

Does Mr. Girard pose a threat?

- I don't know.

Perhaps my colleague thought the individual

was going to grab something off the ground

and didn't want to take any chances.

You'd have to ask him.

I can't answer for him.

- Well?

- He's reading over the report.

He says he didn't aim at the head and that he didn't see

that Guillaume was injured.

- And the kick? - He didn't see anything.

- On his way out, he's going to call Fages to fill him in.

- That's right.

We need to place him in custody and arrest Fages.

I'm calling the prosecutor.

Dial tone

- Commander Bertrand from the IGPN, for Mr. Langlois.

Ah.

Please ask him to call me back urgently.

I have a police officer I want to place in custody,

I need his authorization.

Understood, I'll try his mobile. Thank you.

What's the point of having his direct line.

He has a family emergency.

Damn it, voicemail.

*-Leave a message.

*Voicemail beep

Deputy Prosecutor, Commander Bertrand from the IGPN.

Please call me back regarding Lavallée and Fages

in case file 137.

- Check with the duty magistrate.

- By the time I brief him...

- Can I go? - No.

- Why not? - I'm placing you in custody.

- Excuse me?

- I'm placing you in custody for assault by a state agent.

You have the right to have a lawyer present.

You also have the right to a medical examination.

- You're joking?

- Do I look like I'm joking?

- We, Stéphanie Bertrand, Police Commander,

conducting a preliminary investigation, pursuant to Articles 75

of the Code of Criminal Procedure,

assisted by Major Benoit Guérini and Brigadier

Chief Carole Delarue, in possession of the requisition

for the purpose of compelling appearance under Article 78,

paragraph 2 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

We proceed to 5 rue Pasteur,

94450 Limeil-Brévannes, arriving at 13:15,

we note that it is a house,

we ring the doorbell and the door is opened

by an individual matching the description of Mr. Mickael Fages.

Wearing our armbands,

having confirmed the identity of Mr. Fages,

we proceed to his arrest, at 13:30.

We inform Mr. Fages that his custody,

along with his associated rights, is being notified

by a separate report immediately. Duly noted.

Keypad beeping

- Wait for me in my office.

Stéphanie! Stéphanie!

What is this custody without the prosecutor's approval?

- I had to move fast.

Langlois was unreachable.

He called me back and gave the green light

for the arrest. - Everything is in order?

- Absolutely. - Good.

*-Run! Run!

*Gunshot

- Mr. Fages, is it you and Mr. Lavallée

we see firing at Mr. Girard?

- Yes.

- Did your shot hit Mr. Girard?

- I don't know.

- On the video, you can clearly see that he is hit.

- Yes.

- He was injured in the head.

- I didn't aim at his head. That's not permitted.

- What distance separated you from Mr. Girard?

- I'd say 20 metres.

- It was 14 metres.

At that distance, the margin of error for the LBD 40 is 4 centimetres.

One of you aimed at the head.

- Our rubber bullet guns, maybe they were out of calibration.

That would explain everything.

- You fired numerous shots,

you would have noticed before.

- Maybe a faulty round.

I didn't aim at the head.

- Nothing proves it was my client's shot that hit Mr. Girard.

- What did you do when the protester fell to the ground?

- I don't remember.

- Try harder.

He sighs.

Very well. I'll show you the rest of the video.

*Police siren

Can you describe what you see?

I'm listening.

- I...

I make a move to free myself.

The individual tries to grab my leg to knock me down.

- Mr. Girard tries to grab your leg?

- On the footage, it's hard to tell.

- I'd say on the contrary it's very clear.

- Easy to say.

I felt that he was about to grab my leg.

- Mr. Girard is curled up on the ground.

He makes no gesture.

You kick him,

while he is on the ground and visibly injured.

- In my view, he's not injured.

Just off balance because he was hit in the chest by our shots.

- He is holding his head and cannot get up.

When someone is struck by a projectile,

you are required to check that they show no injuries.

- In my view, he's not injured.

He didn't cry out, I saw no blood.

If he had been injured, I would have helped him.

- Kiai!

Applause

- Has he gone yet?

- Not yet.

- Empi!

- You put the BRI guys in custody? Is that true?

- Are we doing this now?

- Is it true or not?

- It was the prosecutor's decision.

- It's your investigation, yes or no? - Yes.

- The BRI? You saw what they did at the Bataclan?

- Yes. - They're heroes.

They risk their lives while you investigate

from behind your little desks. It's a disgrace.

- Change the record. I hear that line day in, day out.

- You should be asking yourself questions. - Are they asking themselves?

The BRI is acting like cowboys.

- Cowboys?

They're not the ones who created the Wild West.

You've all lost the plot.

You're giving more credibility to thugs than to the BRI.

- Do you know the case?

- The main witness was convicted for assault?

- Stop parroting what you're told,

even if you're sleeping with the unions.

- Don't bring Noélie into this.

- KIAI!

Applause

- Naël! Gaspard!

- Victor is afraid to say we're police officers.

- Kanku Dai!

- The father of one of his friends asked me where I taught.

I didn't catch on right away.

"You're a PE teacher. I teach French."

I didn't even dare correct him.

- Kiai!

- He's ashamed to say his mother is a cop.

What kind of world are we living in?

You're fueling the hatred of the police.

- I'm just doing my job, the way I always have.

- You weren't like this at narcotics.

- If you had applied to the IGPN, I would have stayed at narcotics.

You were happy for one of us to look after Victor.

I enjoyed narcotics.

Yes, I investigate colleagues, I'm not thrilled about it.

If they screw up, they face the consequences.

- Can't you put yourself in their shoes?

- That's all I do.

If we keep making excuses and caving to the unions,

all the decent cops will end up leaving the force,

and only the arseholes will be left.

Applause

- Nilay and Victor!

- Heian Nidan!

- KIAI!

*-For months now,

the government has been asking police officers to risk their lives

against thugs who are destroying the Republic.

Our colleagues are facing situations

that border on chaos and insurrection.

And today, we learn that our BRI colleagues,

the BRI, whose courage speaks for itself,

have been placed in custody, like criminals.

This decision is not going to help

ease the unease that already exists in our ranks.

I'm telling you, police officers are disgusted.

The government needs to understand

that we are close to a breaking point.

And when we're no longer there,

there will be no one left to protect the Republic.

Heated discussion

Tense music

- What's going on?

- The custody has just been lifted.

- Can someone explain?

- The big bosses have showed up.

They're waiting for you in the meeting room.

Applause

- I called the prosecutor's office to lift the custody,

and they agreed.

Let's avoid friction with the unions

when we're already asking so much of the officers.

- Mr. Fages and Mr. Lavallée lied to us multiple times.

Mr. Fages attempted to evade questioning through delaying tactics.

Under Article 78, it was justified to compel them

to appear by force.

- I'm well aware of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

I understood your wish to extend the custody.

But you can bring them back in.

- That changes the balance of power, and you know it very well.

A video shows us there was no self-defense —

not even a justified response.

- If the video is sufficiently clear,

there's no need to keep them in custody.

- But which of the two caused Mr. Girard's injury?

The pressure needed to be maintained.

- The custody is lifted.

Move the investigation forward differently.

Have you brought in a ballistics expert?

- A reconstruction is scheduled for next week.

- Very good.

You can move forward.

I'll be very clear.

We cannot turn the entire profession against us.

That is also the view of the DGPN and the ministry.

Suspense music

- The ballistics expert

concludes in agreement with the doctor

that given the similar heights of the two officers,

the similar firing angles,

and the turning movement made by Mr. Girard,

it is impossible to determine which of the two shots

struck Mr. Girard in the head, injuring him

and resulting in an ITT of over 60 days.

Fighter jet flying overhead

Doorbell

Door opening

- Ms. Girard.

- Hello.

- I wanted to speak to you. Even though I'm not supposed to.

May I come in?

The preliminary investigation is closed.

Your lawyer will inform you,

but I wanted to tell you beforehand.

- Why?

- So I could give you an explanation.

The investigation identified the officers who fired.

They fired without respecting the principle of necessity

and proportionality. They are therefore at fault.

But it proved impossible to determine

which of the two shots injured your son in the head.

- It has to be one of the two.

They'll charge both of them.

- No.

- I don't understand.

- There were two simultaneous shots,

but only one hit Guillaume.

The ballistic forensics could not determine

which one struck his head.

- Mmh...

They both fired. They are both responsible.

- Legally, it's more complicated than that.

- Nobody gets punished because we don't know which one hit him.

- I understand how hard that is to hear.

- But Guillaume will have lasting damage for the rest of his life.

They ruined his life,

and nobody will be punished?

- The officer who kicked him will face charges for assault,

not resulting in incapacity.

- No time off work?

- Correct.

- And their superiors?

There must still be people responsible.

- No order was deemed to be unlawful.

The prefecture asked law enforcement

to contain the violent protesters.

- But Guillaume wasn't violent. - I know.

- And that changes nothing?

- No.

- I don't understand why you came.

- I wanted to tell you that I did my best

to establish the truth.

- You did your job well,

but what is your job even for?

What is it for?

Sad music

She knocks on the door.

- You wanted to see me? - Yes.

Close the door, please.

Thank you.

I have a problem.

- Yes?

- You should have told me you know the Girard family.

- I don't know them.

- You have a connection with them.

- No. We're from the same town, that's all.

I didn't know them before working on this case.

- Are you sure? Saint-Dizier is a small city.

- It's not a village either.

- You had no connection with them?

- His mother cared for my mother as a nursing assistant.

But I didn't know that at the start of the investigation.

- That's what I call a connection.

- If you like. But it didn't influence the investigation.

- Should I believe you?

- I focused on the evidence.

The misconduct committed by these officers is serious.

- That's beside the point. You have a connection with the Girards,

and it created a bias.

- A bias? - Yes.

There are principles of impartiality and equality before the law.

If those aren't respected, there is no justice.

From a disciplinary standpoint, this is problematic.

Even unconsciously, it affected your perception of the case.

It shaped your choices,

you had more empathy for the complainant.

Even just coming from the same small town, that probably played a role.

It's human.

- You're right. It's human.

It probably did shape my approach.

If I hadn't come from the same small town,

if that connection hadn't been there, as you call it,

I probably would have dropped the investigation sooner.

I probably wouldn't have found the incriminating video.

I would have settled for two conflicting accounts.

I probably would have believed the victim and her family less,

and probably would have accepted the officers' version more readily.

You're right, I was born in Saint-Dizier,

and Guillaume Girard's mother did indeed cross paths with mine.

But I've been a police officer for 20 years,

my son's father is a police officer, my colleagues are police officers.

I investigate colleagues.

I know their lives, the lack of regard —

if not outright contempt — that they endure,

the challenges that crowd control poses,

the complexity and thanklessness of the job.

But isn't that a bias too?

It's a matter of perspective.

If other perspectives are hostile, what do we do?

How do we hold things together?

I don't know anymore.

I was born in Saint-Dizier, like the Girard family.

And I'm a cop, like the officers who shot the Girard boy.

I'm both.

And I hope I'm also other things.

A serious investigator...

a good friend.

A decent enough mother.

That's it.

- I understand, in a way, you're right.

Taking things too much to heart, and mistakes get made.

- At what point does one take things too much to heart?

- If there's a trial,

the defense could become aware of this connection.

They could use it to discredit the investigation.

And beyond that, the entire work of the IGPN would be undermined.

It wasn't a good idea. You should have told me.

- So you could hand the investigation to someone else,

who wouldn't have taken it too much to heart.

- Don't take it that way, it serves no purpose.

I don't know whether the victim will join as a civil party,

but if there are further proceedings, you will not be following the case.

We must be absolutely beyond reproach in terms of professional ethics.

I've arranged to spare you a disciplinary inquiry.

You have nothing to worry about on that front.

- A disciplinary inquiry? - Yes.

- Could I be sanctioned?

- You will not be. I'll vouch for that.

- Are you serious?

She laughs.

- Why are you laughing?

- I'm watching videos.

*Growling

She laughs.

*Growling

Laughter.

- Are you OK, Mom?

- Yes, yes, all good.

Festive music

- Hello.

My name is Guillaume Girard.

A year ago,

police officers shot at me with their LBD.

One of the shots struck me in the head

and fractured my skull.

I was in hospital for a long time.

I couldn't speak for several weeks.

I had to relearn everything with speech therapy.

The doctors say that

my brain will remain damaged.

I can't concentrate anymore.

I can't think straight anymore.

I forget everything.

I get migraines.

Sometimes I lose my temper.

I snap.

I become aggressive.

I've become a burden.

For my mother.

I don't understand why the officers shot at me.

They say I was about to throw something,

but that's not true. They're lying.

I didn't do anything.

I think about them all the time.

I try not to hate them.

I try to stay positive.

It's not easy.

*"Siffler sur la colline" by Joe Dassin

- SHE TOLD ME TO GO AND WHISTLE UP ON THE HILL

TO WAIT FOR HER WITH A SMALL BOUQUET OF WILD ROSES

I PICKED THE FLOWERS AND I WHISTLED AS LOUD AS I COULD

I WAITED AND WAITED SHE NEVER CAME

ZAÏ-ZAÏ-ZAÏ-ZAÏ

- Joëlle! - Zaï-zaï-zaï-zaï

- Come on, Mom!

- ZAÏ-ZAÏ-ZAÏ-ZAÏ - Badadada-bam

- ZAÏ-ZAÏ-ZAÏ-ZAÏ - Badadada-bam

- WOOH-OH! - Badada-bam-bam

- WOOH-OH!

WOOH-OH!

WOO-OH

- She told me to go and whistle up on the hill...

To wait for her with a small bouquet of wild roses

I picked the flowers and I whistled as loud as I could

I waited and waited

She never came

Zaï-zaï-zaï-zaï

Zaï-zaï-zaï-zaï

Zaï-zaï-zaï-zaï

Zaï-zaï-zaï-zaï

Woo-oh

Woo-oh

Woo-oh

Subtitling SME: Claire Escadafals for LYSI MEDIA