Paris, Bordeaux, Nantes, Limoges, Poitiers, Marseille or Lille … New actions against police violence are planned for Saturday, June 6, in several cities in France, despite the ban on gatherings of more than ten people because of health crisis.
Government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye said the protests “Shouldn’t stand”. As for the Paris police prefect, Didier Lallement, he said that he had prohibited two declared rallies in the capital in front of the United States embassy.
“In addition to the disturbances to public order that these rallies can generate, like the incidents and violence committed during that of June 2, the health risks they [les deux rassemblements] could cause remain important “, wrote the Prefecture of Police in a statement. To this date, a banned protest gathered at least 20,000 people at the call of the family support committeeAdama Traoré, a young black man who died in 2016 after his arrest.
A Friday evening interspersed with demonstrations
Several thousand were already demonstrating in the evening of Friday to pay tribute to George Floyd, say no to racism and denounce the police violence.
Thousands of demonstrators (3,500 according to the Bas-Rhin prefecture, from 4,000 to 5,000 according to the organizers) dressed in black gathered in Strasbourg. On signs, these words: “The real virus is racism”, “No justice, no peace” (no justice, no peace), or “Black Lives Matter” (Black lives matter) echoing the rallying cry of the movement sparked by the death of George Floyd.
In Rouen, 1,500 demonstrators “Who for some were hostile” gathered, according to the prefecture of Seine-Maritime, which specifies that it was done “Use of tear gas canisters” and that eight arrests took place. Gathering also in Caen, with “1,500 [personnes] at the start of the event “, according to the prefecture of Calvados, and without overflow reported at the time it ended.
In Clermont-Ferrand, several hundred people also gathered shortly after 6 p.m. this time to call the Justice and Truth collective for Wissam El Yamni, who died in this city in 2012 after his arrest by the police in controversial conditions.
Charges of racism in police
For their part, the three big bosses of the security forces in France – the national police, the gendarmerie and the Paris police headquarters, went up to the media front during the week to sweep the accusations of racism within their troops, while promising sanctions in case of drift.
The Paris public prosecutor’s office has announced the opening of a preliminary investigation into racist messages published on the Facebook group “TN Rabiot Police Officiel” and attributed to the police. The Brigade for the Suppression of Crime against the Person (BRDP) will have to determine whether the charges of“Public racist insult” and “Public provocation to racial hatred Are founded.
Thursday, the director general of the national police (DGPN), Frédéric Veaux, confirmed the next visit to the disciplinary council of police officers from Rouen, questioned in December 2019 for racist comments exchanged on private WhatsApp messaging, and documented in a survey of Mediapart and Arte Radio.
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