Police want to remain anonymous: violent riots in Paris | Abroad

There were demonstrations in Strasbourg, Lyon, Lille, Marseille and Bordeaux, among others. Riots broke out in Paris and Rennes. In Paris, protesters erected barricades, a car was set on fire, and some threw objects at the police. Barricades were also erected in Rennes.

In Paris, a hodgepodge of journalists, journalism students, left-wing activists and others gathered on it Republic Square. France24 explicitly mentions the journalists and writes that numerous news media have opposed the new law. People waved press freedom signs and French flags.

The march in Paris turned violent at one point, with officers thrown at them with Molotov cocktails, images circulating on social media show.

Whipping

The protesters’ anger was heightened by recently surfaced footage of the beatings of a black man by police officers. President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that “we should be ashamed” of the images of the beating black music producer Michel Zecler received in Paris last weekend. The incident has raised concerns about possible systematic racism among the police.

Human rights organizations see the change as a means of curbing the freedom of the press and making an investigation into possible police abuse impossible. Proponents say that police officers and their families need protection from harassment both online and in person when off duty.

Last weekend there were also demonstrations because of the change in law in France.

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