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| - Thousands of police officers were to join a rally in central Paris on Wednesday to demand harsher punishment for attacks against their own, two weeks after an officer was shot dead while investigating drug deals. Police unions called for the gathering to push for better protection and less tolerance towards violence against officers, a year ahead of a presidential election in which security issues will be a key topic. Police officer Eric Masson was shot dead earlier this month while investigating activity at a known drug-dealing site in the city of Avignon in southern France. The death of the 36-year-old officer and father-of-two caused deep shock in Avignon -- a city better known for its summer theatre festival than for violent crime -- and reignited a debate over President Emmanuel Macron's record on fighting crime. The demonstration outside the National Assembly was to remind deputies "that they must step up and legislate to make sure what has just happened doesn't happen again", said Fabien Vanhemelryck, the head of the Alliance police union. Patrice Ribeiro, who heads the Synergie Officers union, said "everyday low-level violence" had to be met with the full force of existing laws because "that is how a feeling of impunity starts and grows". Anyone could join the protest, police unions said, predicting that 30,000 people would do so, but no politician would be allowed to address the crowd, they said in a joint statement. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said he would be there, telling France Inter radio that "I will tell them that we love them". Most other political parties across the spectrum were also to send representatives, one month ahead of regional elections seen as an early test for the public mood on security questions. Only the far-left LFI party said it would stay away, calling the police appeals "a list of corporatist demands". Police officers were to take the stage to relate their experiences in the field. Two suspects in Masson's killing were arrested just over a week ago around 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Avignon, source close to the case said. The pair is suspected of being the shooter and an accomplice in the killing. Masson's death came shortly after the killing of Stephanie Monferme, a police employee targeted in the latest jihadist terror attack to strike France. The government last month unveiled a new anti-terror law aimed at helping authorities identify potential Islamist attackers. More than 250 people have been killed in jihadist terror attacks on French soil since 2015, with security forces often targeted. tll-alh/jh/spm
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