These groups of several motorcycles with a pair per vehicle mainly intervene in the context of demonstrations likely to degenerate or with the aim of dispersing undeclared movements.
In a letter addressed to Gérald Darmanin, three deputies from La France insoumise ask this Wednesday for the “provisional dismantling of the Brav-M”, according to information from franceinfo.
Thomas Portes, Antoine Léaument and Ugo Bernalicis warn of the “drifts in the techniques of maintaining order observed” by these “brigades for the repression of violent motorized actions” during recent demonstrations against pension reform.
While demonstrators denounce “police violence” and the movement hardens, elected officials report “a disproportionate use of force”. They refer in particular to a video widely relayed on social networks mounting a Brav-M member punching a protester in the face in Paris on Monday night. A preliminary investigation was entrusted to the IGPN.
Calling out violent groups
The Brav-M were created in 2019 by the prefect of police of Paris, in full movement of the yellow vests. They are made up of pairs on motorbikes mainly involved in demonstrations.
When they were created, their objective was defined as follows: “to disperse the groups, according to a graduated and proportionate use of force and to carry out a maximum of arrests”.
These include “blocking the departures of wild processions”, “containing the demonstrators” and “carrying out the necessary arrests”, and supporting the other units in difficulty, indicates the police headquarters. in a video. In short, their mission is to move more quickly and more responsively than, for example, the CRS.
At high speed, screaming sirens, they drive through these neighborhoods, criss-crossing the main roads and the small streets, with the aim of identifying suspicious individuals or groups that could form to commit violence.
Successors of the “voltigeurs”?
The two police officers composing the classic pair of the Brav-M wear black outfits with a bulletproof vest. The pilot of the motorcycle is distinguished by a white helmet while his intervention teammate wears a black helmet. They are also equipped with truncheons and ball defense launchers (LBD).
Despite its recent creation, the Brav-M is not its first controversy. From 2019, this brigade is criticized because it recalls the PVM (platoons of motorized acrobats) which existed within the police between 1969 and 1989.
The PVM were dissolved after the murder of Malik Oussekine, who died after the intervention of the voltigeurs during a student demonstration in 1986. In the case of the Brav-M, the motorcycles are just “a vector of movement and “the police always intervene on foot”, specifies the police headquarters.
“Particularly suitable”
Today, as part of the demonstrations against the pension reform, the Brav-M is accused of charging the demonstrators too violently in recent days. Testimonies denounce unjustified baton blows.
For his part, the prefect of police of Paris Laurent Nuñez declared on franceinfo to judge the Brav-M “particularly adapted to be able to disperse groups of individuals”.
Faced with the very likely refusal of the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin to “dismantle” this brigade, Thomas Portes, Antoine Léaument and Ugo Bernalicis will file, still according to franceinfo, a petition within the framework of the petitions platform of the National Assembly , to request this dismantling again.
