On Monday, June 29, as the Lyon court delivered its ruling, activists and supporters gathered in Nice to hear the verdict: a six-month suspended prison sentence for Rabah Souchi, former commissioner and current deputy director of Nice’s municipal police, was confirmed.
An illegal order denounced
The facts date back to March 23, 2019. During a yellow vest protest in Nice, Geneviève Legay was violently thrown to the ground during a police charge. She spent several weeks in the hospital, several days between life and death, and has since suffered serious consequences (hearing, sense of smell, editor’s note).
At the heart of the case remained the order given that morning by Commissioner Rabah Souchi, deemed illegal by the courts.
Geneviève Legay also testified to a chilling detail: the street medics (volunteer doctors and nurses present at protests to aid the injured, editor’s note) were reportedly prevented from approaching her while she lay with her head in a pool of blood, and were taken into custody for several hours. They ultimately did not testify at trial.
A precedent that opens doors
The scope of the ruling goes far beyond Geneviève Legay as an individual. “This is the first time an order-giver has been condemned for ordering an unjustified charge,” emphasized one organizer of the collective. “Most of the time, trials for police violence don’t succeed. This is a doorway in.”
The Collective 06 “Legay Case“, formed in 2019 around the injured activist, hopes this ruling will set a precedent and serve as examples for other victims of police violence. “Justice for Geneviève is justice for all victims,” sums up the rally’s motto, comprising about fifty people in front of the courthouse.
Ongoing contestation
Beyond the verdict, the situation of Rabah Souchi continues to outrage. Condemned in first instance in 2024, then in appeal today, he still held the position of deputy director of Nice’s municipal police. “This is absolutely unacceptable,” said a collective member during the speeches. “This person must disappear from the municipal police. It’s a matter of respect for the victims, but also for the entire population of Nice.“
Following these demands, in a statement published that evening, the city of Nice stated that “Mr. Souchi’s situation is now incompatible with the exercise of functions within the municipal police” and announced his departure on July 31, 2026.
The municipality clarified, however, that Rabah Souchi had also requested the end of his assignment even before the appeal hearing.
A small victory for the collective which did not fail to recall that it was under the pressure of seven years of mobilization and a double conviction that this outcome became possible.
Multiple and intergenerational voices
Among those present, Bernadette, 83 years old, made the trip. “When I was young, we called police officers peacekeepers. Today, they’ve become people who harm those they’re supposed to protect.“
She salutes Geneviève Legay’s journey, who came on March 23, 2019 simply to exercise her right to protest. “Citizens are there to express what they think. That’s democracy.”
Seven years after the events, mobilization has not weakened. Speaking alongside Geneviève Legay were: her lawyer Ms. Mireille Damiano and a spokesperson for Attac 06. A gathering that concluded in an atmosphere mixing emotion and determination.
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