Since France went into lockdown in mid-March, there have been many instances of serious harassment and violence by police, mainly targeted at black and Arab residents of working-class neighborhoods. While such violence is not new, it has taken on a new intensity in recent weeks.

France deployed 100,000 police to control the movement of people found outside of their homes. There are countless examples collated by communities, groups that monitor police violence, and journalists, of police racially harassing people on their way to work, the shops, etc.

Mohamed Gabsi, a young homeless father of three living in Béziers - where the is a 9pm curfew, died in police custody while being transported to the station.

In Chanteloup-les-Vignes, a five-year-old girl is in intensive care after being hit in the head with a rubber bullet.

On Saturday night in the Paris suburb of Hauts-de-Seine, a young man riding a scooter was seriously injured after witnesses say the police opened their car door as he drove past, causing him to collide.

People have taken to the streets to call for justice.

Several journalists, including Taha Bouhafs ( @T_Bouhafs), are threatened by police with a teargas grenade - despite maintaining a wide distance. Taha said he was later violently arrested and arbitrarily fined for breaking the lockdown: https://twitter.com/T_Bouhafs/status/1252017730154311684?s=20

The police have highlighted in their press releases that the man on the bike who was seriously injured by police has a criminal history.

Stéphane Gas, lawyer for the victim, says this has nothing to do with the case and is only to discredit his client. https://twitter.com/LabasOfficiel/status/1252672831470649344?s=20