French police accused of using excessive force during pension protests

Human rights watchdog say people angry at Macron’s pension law had right to protest peacefully

Europe’s leading human rights watchdog has accused the French police of using “excessive force” during protests against a fiercely contested pension law.

Dunja Mijatovic, the Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner, said those wishing to gather peacefully had a right to be protected from “police brutality” and attacks by protesters against officers did not justify a heavy-handed response.