French Police Back Van Into Parked Bikes, Then Flee the Scene. They Were Caught On Video.
A public outcry is happening in France, where police officers were captured on video backing up into a row of parked bicycles, damaging several of them before leaving the scene without acknowledging the damage.
In the video posted to Twitter, a police van is reversed by the driver at speed, smashing into a row of bicycles parked along a sidewalk.
CRS vs BIKE
Voilà ce qui arrive quand on ne regarde pas dans le rétroviseur en faisant une marche arrière ! 😅#STRASBOURG pic.twitter.com/FLRUdK0cPL— Gaspard Glanz (@GaspardGlanz) April 17, 2023
The driver of the van pauses momentarily then speeds up aggressively as a bystander records the incident. After the police vehicle speeds away from the scene, the person recording approaches the damaged two-wheelers.
Within hours of the video being posted online, Twitter account Police Nationale 67, the official Twitter account of the Bas-Rhin National Police, acknowledged that law enforcement officials caused the damage captured on video.
“A #bike park was involuntarily hit at N ° 43 avenue de Colmar in #strasbourg by a police van which intervened on the framing of a #demonstration. We invite the owners of damaged bicycles to come forward to the Strasbourg police station.”
One Twitter user noted that “a reversing accident can happen to anyone. Sneaking off after damaging these bikes and without even checking what the damage is, nope. From the police, it is even an aggravating circumstance.”
Most Twitter users expressed skepticism regarding whether the police would have accepted responsibility had the incident not been caught on camera.
“And so the next time I hit a bike or a car, I leave the scene and invite the victim the next day to report themselves via social networks. I have no doubt that your approach is obviously spontaneous,” tweeted Vincent Englebert.
France has been in turmoil because of President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to raise the country's retirement age from 62 to 64. Across the country, activists continue to capture what many deem as a heavy-handed law enforcement response to protestors. The Police Nationale 67's tweet noted that the van which damaged the bikes was responding to a demonstration.
Though no protesters were notable in the video footage, a person whose bike was damaged because of the police hit-and-run responded to Police Nationale 67's tweet.
“I live in Rouen, but that day (well, that night) I was traveling to Strass. My bike smashed, I couldn't bring it home because it wasn’t even rolling anymore, I had to leave it at Strass. How do we get compensation? Are you sending me a check? Thanks @TaranisNews.” Police Nationale 67 has yet to respond.
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