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PARIS – A protest that began peacefully in Paris to denounce police violence and President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial Global Security Law ended in confrontation. The hooded protesters fired projectiles at riot police, smashed shop windows, set cars on fire and burned barricades. At least six cars and a truck parked on an avenue in the 20th district were set on fire. Police responded with tear gas bombs and, across France, 64 people were arrested, according to French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.
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The protest was repeated in several French cities, such as Lille, Marseille and Lyon. In Paris, it began with thousands of people marching peacefully through the capital, holding banners that read “France, land of police rights” and “Withdrawal of security law.” But then it turned into an open confrontation between the police and groups of protesters, most dressed in black and with their faces covered. Some used hammers to break the cobblestones, which were thrown at the police officers. According to the police, some “500 rioters” infiltrated the demonstration.
According to the newspaper Le Monde, the demonstrations throughout the country gathered more than 52 thousand people; in the capital, the number of protesters was about 5,000. On Twitter, Darmanin condemned the violent acts on Saturday. The minister himself was the target of lawsuits, with posters calling for his resignation.
“Bandits break the Republic. I support our police and our gendarmes, again attacked with great violence. 64 prisons. Among the wounded, eight [agentes da] security forces. His courage and honor deserve the respect of all, “wrote Darmanin.
Previously, the minister had already expressed his support for the police: “Thanks to the police forces deployed today, sometimes facing very violent individuals,” he said on Twitter.
– We are moving towards an increasingly significant limitation of freedoms. There is no justification – said Karine Shebabo, a Paris resident.
Another protester, Xavier Molenat, said that “France has a habit of restricting freedoms while preaching the importance of these same rights to others.”
France was hit by a wave of street protests after the government introduced a security bill in Parliament that aimed to increase its surveillance tools and restrict the rights to circulate police images in the media and online. The project is part of Macron’s effort to toughen law and order ahead of the 2022 elections. His government also said police needed to be better protected from hate on the internet.
But the beating of a black man, music producer Michel Zecler, by the police in late November intensified public anger. The incident came to light after CCTV images and videos recorded with cell phones circulated on the Internet. Critics said the bill would make it more difficult to hold police accountable in a country where some human rights groups claim systemic racism within law enforcement agencies.
This is the second consecutive weekend of protests. Last week, demonstrations were held in more than 70 cities across the country and there were violent clashes between protesters and the police.
In a change earlier this week, President Emmanuel Macron’s party said it would rewrite part of the security bill after the proposal sparked a strong backlash from the public and left-wing politicians. Many opponents of the bill say it goes too far, even if it is rewritten.
On Friday, Macron acknowledged that people who are not white are more likely to be registered than white people. He also announced that France will launch an online platform next year for people to flag any unnecessary police approaches and that police body cameras will be widely used from June.
The president’s comments drew criticism from police unions on Saturday. The independent National Police union called Macron’s comments shameful and denied that the corporation was racist. The Alternative Police, another union force in the category, threatened to suspend random searches.
