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Does Macron have a police problem?

Things are spicing up over in France. Not content with tear-gassing British children, the Parisian gendarmerie seem to be turning on their own disgruntled citizens. 

Last night passengers at Paris’s Gare de L’Est scrambled to get aboard a replacement bus after a train broke down at the station. Instead of trying to shepherd irritated travellers into orderly queues, the French police instead decided to fire off pepper spray into the crowd. People can be seen reeling after having been sprayed with the chemical agent, usually reserved for out-of-control rioters rather than frustrated commuters. 

This is starting to look like a real problem for President Emmanuel Macron. Last week’s authoritarian policing at the Stade de France, which saw thousands of Liverpool fans beaten, gassed and possibly groped, backfired terribly for the Élysée.

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Steerpike

Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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