Brutal Immigrant Eviction Video Sparks French Fury

Pregnant woman, babies dragged by riot cops
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 3, 2010 2:41 AM CDT

A video showing police roughly breaking up a protest by African immigrant squatters in Paris is being slammed by human rights groups as the latest evidence of a brutal turn to the right by Nicolas Sarkozy's government. Officers can be seen dragging a screaming pregnant woman and mothers with wailing babies strapped to their backs, the Independent reports.

Rights groups have demanded an investigation into the excessive use of force they say the video shows, although a police spokesman says the eviction was largely peaceful and the video has been misleadingly edited. Sarkozy has recently launched a major crackdown on crime and illegal immigration, a move opposition politicians say is aimed at drawing attention away from his party's illegal campaign donations scandal.
(More France stories.)

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