New Law Criminalizes the Recording of Violence in France

Sixteen years ago, an amateur with a camera photographed officers of the LA Police Department beating an unarmed black man. Reported worldwide, the Rodney King incident led to changes in the rules of police behavior. Four days ago, the French constitutional council outlawed "happy slapping," making a provision that would make it illegal for so-called "citizen-journalists" to record such events and post them on line. Julian Pain works on Internet Freedom in Paris for Reporters without Borders.