Police officers in Paris walked off their jobs and rode open-top buses in a rolling protest caravan over the French capital to make their demands known ahead of the Summer Olympics in the city later in 2024.
Buses with banners reading "What is important is to ... anticipate" and "Police officers despised, Olympic Games in danger" left the Saint Augustin church square in central Paris to head towards Bastille Square.
Late July would burden the police force as security operations for the Olympics would begin on Bastille Day (July 14) this year. This would put further strain on Paris's vital workforces amid heightened security threats and chronic staffing shortages not only on the police force but also on hospitals and public transport.
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SGP Police FO union chief Gregory Joron told Sud Radio that the protest was a "warning shot to authorities" six months before the games, expressing their concern over long hours of work and not enough pay for his colleagues.
"Conditions under which police forces are being thrown into the Olympic Games are not good," he said.
Joron also stated that Paris police officers demand for clarity about work conditions, and among other things, a EUR1,500 bonus each.
Police unions have already called for a January 18 strike to voice their discontent ahead of the games, Reuters reported.
Some 30,000 officers and military personnel would be mobilized to secure the opening ceremony on July 26, when around 600,000 people would be expected to watch athletes and delegations sail along the Seine River.
