<p>PARIS — French police officers held a huge demonstration outside parliament Wednesday to press for a law that protects the protectors who are feeling vulnerable to attacks, angry and useless. </p>
<p>The rally by security forces represented a bold and unusual move for members of an institution that stresses duty and discretion. The protest also morphed into what looked like a campaign stop for politicians ahead of regional elections next month and a presidential race next year, with security a top concern.</p>
<p>Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin showed up at the start, squeezing through a packed crowd of hundreds waving labor union flags. Representatives from the far-right National Rally and a multitude of other parties were expected to attend. The politicians clearly hope to send a message that security matters and police officers, a considerable voting pool, are their friends.</p>
<p>“You must help us, Mister Minister,” an officer said with emotion to Darmanin.</p>
<p>“Every morning when I awake, every night when I sleep, I think of you,” Darmanin said, adding that his presence at the protest was “normal" given his role as France’s top cop.</p>
<p>Police unions gave notice ahead of the rally that politicians would not be allowed to make speeches. “No one will confiscate the words of police or citizens,” said a statement by 10 unions holding the demonstration.</p>
<p>With two officers killed in recent weeks – one in a terrorist attack and another by a suspected 19-year-old delinquent – and constant encounters with young people who throw objects and fireworks, police are angry.</p>
<p>“Paid to Serve, Not to Die” read a giant banner in front of the National Assembly, the lower chamber of parliament.</p>
<p>Police are calling for a law that guarantees jail time for those who assault them and for a justice system that punishes the small-time offenders they arrest and re-arrest after courts set them free.</p>
<p>Polls show broad support for police, but critics cite instances of brutality, including a man who died this year after a beating. A group of organizations filed a lawsuit in January contending systemic racism in France’s security forces.</p>
<p>Officers reject what they label as “police bashing” that undermines their work.</p>
<p>Darmanin’s presence at Wednesday’s protest triggered a deluge of criticism. The hardline interior minister has made chasing down neighborhood drug dealers a priority.</p>
<p>French President Emmanuel Macron, who is expected to run for reelection in 2022, has put security high on his agenda. However, police want more than a list of promises, such as guaranteeing a 30-year prison sentence for anyone convicted of killing an officer. </p>
