25/06/2025 Session
Against a backdrop of increased social mobilisation and social unrest in a number of member states, PACE today recommended “placing dialogue and mediation at the heart of crowd control and developing strategies that do not pit law enforcement authorities against demonstrators” in order to prevent the escalation of violence while preserving the right to protest.
Adopting a resolution based on the report by Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC), PACE called on member states to reconsider the use of intermediate weapons in the context of maintaining order during demonstrations, reserving their use for specialised units, and to reflect on “a possible total ban on the use of defence ball launchers in maintaining order”.
Emphasising the importance of adopting an approach to policing as a public service engaged in a relationship with the public based on trust (particularly in disadvantaged neighbourhoods), the Parliamentary Assembly proposed that member states “develop or reinforce a community-based police presence” and “combat all forms of profiling, including ethnic profiling during identity checks”.
Furthermore, the adopted resolution encourages states to avoid preventive arrests, obstruction strategies and repressive approaches, while strengthening dialogue and mediation before, during and after demonstrations.
Finally, the parliamentarians underlined that the growing difficulty of the missions entrusted to the law-enforcement authorities and the daily commitment of their officers deserve “recognition both from the authorities, and from society as a whole, of the responsibility borne by them”.