This sounds terribly odd to me as a European guy. We hear a lot of stories with US cops unloading their guns at people they feel are a menace, only to realize later these people were actually unarmed or just holding a phone. But if someone gives them a middle finger then it is all fine and cops should do nothing but lower their eyes !?

In France to give the middle finger to a policeman or soldier or any other state representant would be considered an offense. People would be fined for this, and not even our leftists would contest that.