Marseille commissioner charged for shielding officers accused of beating protester

Marseille prosecutors announced that a senior police commissioner has been placed under formal investigation for allegedly shielding officers who attacked a 19-year-old woman during a 2018 protest. The woman, known as Angelina, suffered a fractured skull after being hit with a rubber baton and other strikes. The commissioner faces charges of false sworn testimony and obstruction of evidence.

This development comes as about fifteen police personnel have been pursued by investigators, with one officer already indicted earlier in the year. At the time of the violence, the commissioner served as the second-in-command of the city's transport security service (SISTC) and oversaw a team of eight plain-clothes officers, seven of whom are now also under investigation. The prosecutor's office confirmed the indictment following information initially.