Dozens of marches against police violence in France kicked off on Saturday after authorities banned a memorial rally in Paris, fearful of reigniting the recent unrest that engulfed the country.
More than 1,000 people rallied in Paris's Place de la République to honour Adama Traoré, a young black man who died in police custody in July 2016, after authorities banned a commemorative march north of Paris in Persan and Beaumont-sur-Oise.
Assa Traoré, Adama's older sister and a leading figure in the fight against police violence, on Friday announced that she would instead rally in central Paris to “tell the whole world that our dead have the right to exist, even in death”.
French authorities also banned the Paris rally but Traoré and her fellow protesters chose to defy them.
"We're marching for young people, to denounce police violence. They want to hide our dead," she told the crowd on Saturday.
"Neo-Nazis are allowed to march, but we're not allowed to march. France can't give lessons in morality. Its police are racist, its police are violent," Traoré added.
Shortly afterwards, police dispersed the crowd, sending several hundred people towards the wide Boulevard Magenta, where they were seen marching peacefully. There was some pushing and shoving as demonstrators chanted "Justice for Nahel" – referring to the 17-year-old who was killed by police at a traffic stop last week.
Around 30 similar demonstrations against police violence are planned across France this weekend, according to an online map, including in the cities of Lille, Marseille, Nantes and Strasbourg.
Grief and anger
Several trade unions, political parties and associations had called on supporters to join the memorial march for Traoré this year as France reels from allegations of institutionalised racism in its police ranks following the police shooting of Nahel M.
Traoré, who was 24 years old, died shortly after his arrest in 2016, sparking several nights of unrest that played out similarly to the week-long rioting that erupted across the country in the wake of the point-blank shooting of Nahel during a traffic stop.
The teenager’s death on June 27 rekindled long-standing accusations of systemic racism among security forces, and a UN committee has called on France to ban racial profiling.
But far-right parties have linked the most intense and widespread riots seen in the country since 2005 to mass migration, and have demanded curbs on new arrivals.
Campaign groups say Saturday’s “citizens marches” will be an opportunity for people to express their “grief and anger” at discriminatory police policies, especially in working-class neighbourhoods.
They are urging reforms to the police, including policing tactics and the force’s weaponry.
Government spokesman Olivier Véran criticised the organisations for convening demonstrations “in major cities that have not yet recovered from the rampages”.
More than 3,700 people have been taken into police custody in connection with the protests since Nahel’s death, including at least 1,160 minors, according to official figures.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)
