The violent arrest of a pregnant French woman has caused outrage on social media, but the officers involved say the video posted to Twitter doesn't show the whole story.
Footage of the 23-year-old woman being pinned to the ground by multiple railway security officers from SNCF, the country's state-owned rail company, was posted on Twitter where it quickly drew thousands of views and comments.
In the video, the woman can be heard screaming as the security guards wrestle her to the ground, pinning her on her stomach.
Her partner attempts to intervene, telling officers in French that she is pregnant, but they continue to forcefully restrain her as she screams in distress.
The footage has been widely shared across social media with people condemning the actions of the railway agents.
However, a statement from SNCF provided to local news site francetvinfo.fr says the footage was "broadcast without any contextualisation".
SNCF says the woman had refused to wear a mask as a precaution against COVID-19, had not paid for a ticket, and had spat at the officers.
The Bobigny prosecutor's office told francetvinfo the woman also bit the people attempting to restrain her - two were bitten on the ankle and one on the arm.
After she was restrained the woman was taken to hospital where it was confirmed she was seven months pregnant. The SNCF has opened an internal investigation into the circumstances of the arrest.
