PARIS (Reuters) – Paris police have prohibited a planned protest on Saturday against police violence, following a week of riots sparked by the killing of a teenager in a suburb of the French capital. The demonstration, which was set to take place at Place de la Republique, was banned due to concerns over public order in the aftermath of recent unrest across France. The French government, including President Emmanuel Macron, has faced mounting pressure to address allegations of racial profiling and institutional racism within law enforcement agencies. These allegations have come to light following the shooting of Nahel, a teenager who was fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop.
The protest was originally organized by the family of Adama Traore, a Black Frenchman who died in police custody under circumstances similar to the killing of George Floyd in the United States. It was initially planned as a march in Beaumont-sur-Oise, another Paris suburb where Traore died in 2016. However, this march was previously banned by local authorities due to concerns of public safety and order, shortly after widespread riots erupted across France. A court upheld the ban on Friday, leading to the decision to relocate the gathering to central Paris instead. Numerous left-wing leaders, including LFI parliamentary group chief Mathilde Panot, had expressed their intention to join the protest.
It remains unclear whether the organizers will contest the new ban imposed by Paris authorities. The police officer responsible for shooting Nahel has been formally investigated for voluntary homicide, which is equivalent to being charged under Anglo-Saxon law. According to his lawyer, the officer claimed to have aimed at the driver’s leg but accidentally shot him in the chest when the car drove off, insisting that his intention was not to kill the teenager.
(Photo: Getty Images)
Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Alexander Smith
Credit: The Star : News Feed
