An Australian tourist has recorded a tense encounter with French police in Paris, claiming officers stopped and questioned him without explaining why.
Ahmed Assaad said he was returning to a hotel with his teenage brother during a dream trip to the French capital earlier this month when four police officers on bicycles pulled them over.
“We’ve come from Australia and the police want to do an investigation on us,” he said in footage shared online.
“They’ve pulled us over for no reason, done a full check on us, and taken our passports and everything.”
The video shows Mr Assaad surrounded by officers who appeared to check the pair’s identification and instructed him to take one hand out of his pocket.
At one point, he asked an officer for his name. The officer then appeared to place a hand in front of the tourist’s phone, seemingly attempting to block the camera.
“This is for our safety. I’m afraid of the police who come and pull us over for no reason,” Mr Assaad told the officer.
“You think you’re strong because you’re behind the badge? That’s the French police. Here’s what they do to Australian tourists.”
Ahmed Assaad claimed he and his younger brother were stopped and questioned by police in Paris without being given a reason
Mr Assaad’s younger brother was also questioned by police
The Australian tourist claimed the officers refused to provide their names
The footage concludes with the officers appearing to cycle away without any further incident.
In a follow-up TikTok video, Mr Assaad gave a fuller account of the alleged confrontation, claiming the officers ran towards him and his brother and swore in French before he began recording.
He further alleged that police said the brothers were armed and questioned whether they were really Australian.
“They’re like, ‘Go on the wall, we need to pat you and check you down and see what you’re carrying,’” he said.
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“I go, ‘Brother, what is he talking about? What are we carrying?’”
Mr Assaad described the incident as unacceptable and questioned why the officers did not identify themselves after asking him to produce his identification.
“They didn’t even give their names. How do I know they’re actually police officers?” he said.
The Daily Mail has contacted Mr Assaad and the French National Police for comment.
The video ends with the officers appearing to cycle away without further incident
The video attracted thousands of comments, with social media users divided on whether it was right for police to carry out the stop and identification check.
‘They demand your details but they hide their identity,’ one viewer said.
Another added: ‘Good on you for standing your ground. I bet they do feel powerful behind those badges.’
But others defended the police and said Mr Assaad should have shown more respect.
‘I don’t see a problem with them checking. Just let them check and leave. There’s no need for all this drama or to disrespect them,’ one said.
A second user added: ‘You’re in different countries so respect that it’s normal. Even in Austria and Italy, they stop you and ask for your ID, so it’s not a big deal.’
The Australian government website Smartraveller advises travellers to exercise a high degree of caution in France amid the ongoing threat of civil unrest and demonstrations.
On Friday local time, French police pledged to deploy 70,000 officers ahead of further demonstrations over the weekend after six weeks of escalating action.
More broadly, Smartraveller advises tourists to carry photo identification at all times, as police conduct random checks, particularly at borders.