Neil Andrew Frias Diaz, a 35-year-old American-Chilean visiting Paris for the Olympics, has lodged a formal complaint with the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) following a violent arrest near the aquatic center in Seine-Saint-Denis.
Confronted by Five Police Officers
According to Liternaute Frias Diaz's trip to Paris took a troubling turn on June 30th, when he was detained while attending a water polo match between France and Japan.
According to Frias Diaz, he was taking a selfie with an Israeli flag to commemorate the event for his mother, who is "Cuban-Jewish," when three police officers approached him for a routine identity check.
Despite showing his ticket and cooperating with translation assistance from a fellow spectator, Frias Diaz was later confronted by five additional officers. He claims they detained him, accusing him of resisting arrest and dragging him by his feet to a police van.
Frias Diaz reports spending 27 hours in police custody without access to a lawyer or medical care. He describes enduring humiliation, including being denied water and being forced to drink from a toilet.
Bruises and Healing Wounds
Three days after the incident, Frias Diaz, who has bruises and healing wounds, filed a complaint with the IGPN. He faces accusations of "violent resistance" and "forcefully or fraudulently entering a sports venue" while intoxicated, with a court date set for November 26. His attorney, David Cazeneuve, argues that the delay in proceedings is unusual for the Olympics, where cases are typically expedited.
The public prosecutor of Bobigny, Éric Mathais, stated that the severity of the case did not warrant immediate trial and noted that the Bobigny court had not received any report of illegitimate violence complaints.
Frias Diaz expresses confusion over the incident, asserting that he was sober and that his only action was displaying the Israeli flag. His lawyer condemns the events as "extremely serious and concerning."
