Four Lausanne police officers suspended over racist messages
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Four Lausanne police officers suspended over racist messages
Racist, sexist, anti-Semitic and discriminatory messages have been circulating among Lausanne police officers on WhatsApp groups. The municipality, deeply shocked, is taking action, including an initial series of suspensions.
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The two private WhatsApp groups had 6 and 48 members respectively. Not all of the messages have been analysed yet, but the City of Lausanne has already suspended four people. Others will follow in the next few days, said Pierre-Antoine Hildbrand, mayor in charge of the police, on Monday.
In addition to these suspensions, which could lead to dismissals, criminal investigations are underway.
The municipality also wants to carry out an “in-depth reform”. For the mayor, Grégoire Junod, “there is a problem of systemic discrimination” that needs to be addressed. André Duvillard, a former Neuchâtel police commander, has been hired to support the Lausanne authorities.
This case is “seriously damaging the image of the Lausanne police force. It’s a stain on the uniform that needs to be cleaned up”, according to Hildbrand.
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Translated from German by DeepL/jdp
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