Six hours of footage from a night patrol in Carcassonne has triggered a formal investigation and suspensions after it surfaced showing municipal police officers making what the mayor called “sickening” racist, misogynistic, and conspiratorial remarks. The video, recorded on 6 November 2025 by an officer’s body camera that was believed to be switched off, was published by the regional daily Midi Libre.
The newspaper described the language as “of exceptional violence.” According to its reporting, the footage was passed to the Carcassonne public prosecutor’s office in January 2026, and a preliminary investigation has been under way since then. The prosecutor’s office confirmed to AFP that an investigation had been opened, though it did not specify when.
Racist and seditious talk inside the patrol car
The patrol itself was quiet—officers were called to just one incident—but the conversation inside the vehicle was anything but. One officer insulted a passer-by, calling him a “wog who stinks of kebab.” On two occasions, Black people were compared to “monkeys.” Women were dismissed with crude language, and politics drew contempt: “We’ve been eaten alive, we let everyone in, we’ve had 40 years of crap from the left, lefty scum.”
The patrol leader went further, voicing fears of what he called a “civilisational replacement.” He said, “We became Christian under Clovis; we’re going to become Muslim under Macron.” Toward the end of the shift, the officers even discussed a coup. One expressed surprise that it had not already happened, and another added, “What we’re missing is a general with some real balls. A little coup, a little dictatorship in France wouldn’t do any harm.”
The patrol leader also admitted to having found a weapon for someone close to him, according to Midi Libre.
Suspensions and legal consequences
Carcassonne’s city council initially issued a statement calling the remarks “unacceptable” and blaming the previous municipal administration. Hours later, the mayor described the language as “sickening” and announced that “all those involved have been suspended.” The public prosecutor’s office later confirmed the suspensions and the withdrawal of the officers’ authorisations, saying they “no longer meet the standards of integrity required for their duties.”
The patrol leader, identified only as C.R., was responsible for nearly 90% of the hateful remarks. The 50-year-old is a former paratrooper and reportedly volunteered with the Protection and Security Department, the internal security service of France’s far-right National Rally (RN). Midi Libre noted that no declaration of additional activity was filed with Carcassonne city hall.
After the videos circulated internally in late 2025, C.R. went on sick leave from January to March 2026. He returned to the night shift on 16 March, the day after Christophe Barthès, the newly elected RN mayor, took office. No disciplinary action had been taken against him at that point.
Legal experts say the remarks, while not made publicly, could still have serious professional consequences. Benjamin Cottet-Emard, a lawyer with the Lyon Bar, told Euronews that non-public racist insults are not a criminal offence but are a fifth-class offence, punishable by a fine of up to €1,500. However, for a public official, they constitute a disciplinary offence that can lead to permanent dismissal. “These remarks are clearly unworthy of a public official and seriously undermine human dignity,” he said.
Cottet-Emard pointed to a precedent: the Council of State has upheld the dismissal of a police officer who made racist and discriminatory remarks in a WhatsApp group and failed to condemn racist, antisemitic, and sexist messages shared by colleagues.
The case has reignited debates about extremism within French police forces, a topic that has been sensitive for years. It also comes amid heightened political tensions ahead of the French election, with disinformation campaigns already targeting candidates—such as the fake villa story aimed at Édouard Philippe. The incident in Carcassonne underscores the challenges local authorities face in ensuring that those who carry weapons and enforce the law uphold the values of the Republic.
