Despite a ban imposed by authorities, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of central Paris on Saturday to demonstrate against police violence. This protest comes just one week after riots broke out in response to the killing of a teenager in a Parisian suburb.
Paris police dispersed the crowd, forcing them to march towards Boulevard Magenta, where they proceeded peacefully. Two individuals were later arrested, according to the Paris police department.
The decision to ban the planned demonstration was justified by the police department, citing a “context of tensions.” However, this move has drawn criticism, with some expressing concern over the threat to freedom of assembly in France. Felix Bouvarel, a health worker who attended the gathering despite the ban, called it “shocking.”
Similar bans were enforced in other cities as well. Authorities prohibited a demonstration in Lille, while a march in Marseille was rerouted away from the city center.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin revealed that over 3,000 people, primarily teenagers, were arrested during the six nights of riots that ended a week ago. The violence erupted following the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Nahel M by a police officer during a traffic stop. The officer is currently being investigated for voluntary homicide, with his lawyer claiming the shooting was unintentional.
The protest on Saturday was organized by the family of Adama Traore, a Black Frenchman who died in police custody in 2016, and has been commemorated with annual protests since then. Originally banned in Beaumont-sur-Oise, the Paris suburb where Traore died, the demonstration aimed to relocate to central Paris.
French authorities, including President Emmanuel Macron, have consistently denied the existence of institutional racism within the country’s law enforcement agencies. This denial comes in response to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), which called on France to address the structural and systemic causes of racial discrimination, including within law enforcement.
In light of the previous week’s events, the French foreign ministry rejected claims of racism within the legal system. The ministry stated that any accusations of systemic racism or discrimination by law enforcement in France are baseless.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced that the government would impose a ban on the sale and personal use of fireworks during the upcoming Bastille Day holiday. This decision follows the widespread use of fireworks by protesters last week, which led to fires and injuries.
