France, Dec. 1 -- On the night of 13 November 2015, then president Francois Hollande declared a nationwide state of emergency, granting French police and intelligence services extraordinary authority to carry out searches and detain people suspected of being involved in terrorism.
These measures, extended a week later, let police bypass the ordinary judicial process and decide whom to target, with judges reviewing the legality only afterwards if officers' choices were challenged in court.
The public largely accepted these restrictions on civil liberties because the terrorist threat remained high.
"After a traumatic event, after a crisis, it is easier to justify a reduction in rights and heightened security measures. People are expecting ...