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News|Protests

In Pictures: French protesters clash with police

Tens of thousands took to the streets against a proposed security law that would restrict the filming of police officers.

A protester holds a French flag during a demonstration against a new French law that would restrict sharing images of police. [Alain Jocard/AFP]
Published On 29 Nov 202029 Nov 2020
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Violent clashes erupted in Paris as tens of thousands took to the streets against a proposed security law. Tensions were already high after the circulation last week of a video showing police officers beating and racially abusing a Black man.

Police repeatedly fired tear gas to disperse rowdy protesters on Saturday who set fire to France’s central bank and threw paving stones.

Some 46,000 people marched in Paris and 133,000 in total nationwide, the interior ministry said. Protest organisers estimated 500,000 joined nationwide, including 200,000 in the capital.

President Emmanuel Macron said late Friday the images of the beating of Black music producer Michel Zecler by police officers in Paris last weekend “shame us”. The incident magnified concerns about alleged systemic racism in the police force.

“Police everywhere, justice nowhere” and “police state” and “smile while you are beaten” were among the slogans brandished as protesters marched from Place de la Republique to the nearby Place de la Bastille.

“We have felt for a long time to have been the victim of institutionalised racism from the police,” said Mohamed Magassa 35, who works in a reception centre for minors. “But now we feel that this week all of France has woken up.”

A series of high-profile cases against police officers over the mistreatment of Black or Arab citizens has raised accusations of institutionalised racism. The police force has insisted violations are the fault of isolated individuals.

Three of the police officers involved in the beating of Zecler are being probed for using racial violence and all four are still being held for questioning after their detention on Saturday was extended for another 24 hours.

Thousands gather in the Place de La Republique in central Paris, days after the country was shaken by footage showing police officers beating and racially abusing a Black man. [Thomas Ceox/AFP]
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About 46,000 people marched in Paris and 133,000 in total nationwide, according to the interior ministry. Protest organisers estimated 500,000 joined nationwide, including 200,000 in the capital. [Christian Hartmann/Reuters]
A banner reading 'Police blurring, justice blind' is seen on the Triomphe de la Republique monument in Paris. [Joel Saget/AFP]
Demonstrators take cover behind metal barriers during clashes with police in Paris. [Alain Jocard/AFP]
Riot police clash with protesters after a demonstration against a controversial security law. [Christophe Petit Tesson/EPA]
Rights groups say the new security law will infringe on journalists' freedom to report in France. [Benoit Tessier/Reuters]
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A fire burns on a street during protests in Paris. [Benoit Tessier/Reuters]
Officers in Paris fired tear gas to disperse protesters. [Alain Jocard/AFP]
President Macron's government says the law is needed to protect police amid threats and attacks by a violent fringe. [Christophe Petit Tesson/EPA]


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