Accidental recording exposes French police officers' racist views on racialized people
An accidental recording reveals racist and xenophobic remarks by municipal police officers in Carcassonne, France. The case has triggered an official investigation.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
An accidental recording has exposed racist, xenophobic and homophobic comments by municipal police officers in Carcassonne, France, leading to an official investigation and the suspension of the officers involved.
## Racism on patrol
An involuntary recording has brought to light deeply racist and xenophobic remarks, as well as misogynistic and homophobic ones, made by municipal police officers in **Carcassonne**, a town in southern **France**. The audio, captured by a body camera believed to be switched off, records conversations revealing a worldview steeped in prejudice. Contemptuous expressions toward racialized people can be heard, with officers referring to them with terms like "monkeys", and lamenting the presence of "Arabs, Blacks, the Afghan" in the town center. The statements go even further, defending torturers from the Algerian War and expressing wishes for a coup d'état or a dictatorship in France.
## The context at city hall
The events have come at a sensitive moment for local politics, trinc the recent election of Carcassonne's mayor, **Christophe Barthès**, from the far-right **National Rally (RN)** party. Although the video was recorded before his election, in **2025**, and the main figure involved is an RN member close to the new municipal team, the incident has placed the mayor in a delicate position. **Barthès** has been forced to publicly condemn the officers' statements. Interior Minister **Laurent Nuñez** has ordered an inspection of the Carcassonne Municipal Police by the General Inspectorate of Administration (**IGA**).
## Immediate consequences
The Carcassonne prosecutor's office acted swiftly, ordering the suspension of the municipal police officers involved in the case. The footage, which lasts six hours, reveals not only the officers' views but also the apparent normality with which these ideas were shared among them. In one exchange, after receiving a call from a female driver who antiestéticared she had run over a wild animal, an officer reports the ongoing incident to the radio control room: "An old woman (...) has run over a Black man." The operator's response, "Oh, great!", underscores the gravity of the situation.
## Racism on patrol
An involuntary recording has brought to light deeply racist and xenophobic remarks, as well as misogynistic and homophobic ones, made by municipal police officers in **Carcassonne**, a town in southern **France**. The audio, captured by a body camera believed to be switched off, records conversations revealing a worldview steeped in prejudice. Contemptuous expressions toward racialized people can be heard, with officers referring to them with terms like "monkeys", and lamenting the presence of "Arabs, Blacks, the Afghan" in the town center. The statements go even further, defending torturers from the Algerian War and expressing wishes for a coup d'état or a dictatorship in France.
## The context at city hall
The events have come at a sensitive moment for local politics, trinc the recent election of Carcassonne's mayor, **Christophe Barthès**, from the far-right **National Rally (RN)** party. Although the video was recorded before his election, in **2025**, and the main figure involved is an RN member close to the new municipal team, the incident has placed the mayor in a delicate position. **Barthès** has been forced to publicly condemn the officers' statements. Interior Minister **Laurent Nuñez** has ordered an inspection of the Carcassonne Municipal Police by the General Inspectorate of Administration (**IGA**).
## Immediate consequences
The Carcassonne prosecutor's office acted swiftly, ordering the suspension of the municipal police officers involved in the case. The footage, which lasts six hours, reveals not only the officers' views but also the apparent normality with which these ideas were shared among them. In one exchange, after receiving a call from a female driver who antiestéticared she had run over a wild animal, an officer reports the ongoing incident to the radio control room: "An old woman (...) has run over a Black man." The operator's response, "Oh, great!", underscores the gravity of the situation.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (4 replies).
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