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Image posted, ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT
A French protester, kneeling on the ground, raised his fist to the sky, next to a burning car
Violence broke out in the French capital, Paris, on Saturday during a large protest rally against the “comprehensive security” bill, where protesters clashed with police, who responded with a barrage of tear gas cans.
Dozens of masked protesters threw their hands at riot police, smashing shop windows, setting cars on fire and burning police barriers.
Paris police said in a tweet on Twitter that 30 people had been arrested among the protesters. She blamed the violence on 500 people she said were extremists who had infiltrated the ranks of the protesters.
Thousands of protesters marched in a peaceful demonstration through the streets of Paris before clashes broke out between police and groups of protesters, some of whom used hammers to break through the pavement.
“We are moving towards an increasingly significant restriction of freedoms, and this is completely unjustified,” lawyer Karen Shabou, a participant in the demonstration, told AFP.
“France has a habit of restricting freedoms while preaching their importance to others,” journalist Javier Moulinat, one of the participants in the demonstration, told AFP.
Other cities in France have witnessed peaceful protests against the law, such as Marseille, Lyon and René.
Image posted, ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT
French riot police surround them during their clash with protesters
Saturday’s clashes are a repeat of the violence that took place late last week in protest against police violence and the new law restricting the publication of photos showing the faces of police officers.
Opponents of the bill say it undermines freedom of the press to document police brutality.
But the government says it will help protect agents from online abuse.
Last week, video footage emerged of three white police officers racially treating and beating a black music producer.
The images showing Michel Zeclair being kicked and beaten in his studio in Paris came as a shock in France.
French President Emmanuel Macron described the incident as “unacceptable” and “shameful”, and called for swift government proposals on how to rebuild trust between the police and citizens.
The officers who appeared in the video have since been suspended from their duties under investigation.
Why is the proposed bill controversial?
Article 24 of the proposed legislation criminalizes the publication of photographs of police officers while on duty with the intention of damaging their “physical or psychological integrity”.
It says the perpetrators could face up to a year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros ($ 53,840).
The government says the bill does not jeopardize the rights of the media and ordinary citizens to report police abuse; It is only intended to provide protection to police officers.
But opponents say that without those photos, none of the incidents that occurred over the past week would have emerged.
