Protest against police violence blocked and disrupted

Thousands of demonstrators against racism and police violence, gathered Saturday afternoon in Paris, were blocked by the police at the starting point, Place de la République, which they planned to leave at 2:30 p.m. to march to the Opera. "People who wish can leave the place by all axes except the boulevard Saint-Martin and (de) rue du Temple," tweeted at 15:30 the Paris Prefecture of Police.

Thousands of protesters are still stranded on Place de la # République in Paris. The procession was to start at 2.30 p.m. to reach the Opera. "The police are blocking all the exits" told us the organizers of the rally. #JusticePourAdama pic.twitter.com/ik0JLAn7km

In a press release on Friday, the Prefect of Police recalled that gatherings of more than 10 people were prohibited, but he announced that he had asked to close businesses on the way to the demonstration. "For the record, the demonstration is not declared and the decree of May 31 prohibits gatherings of more than 10 people," said a police source to AFP.

Misunderstanding and anger

Place de la République, many demonstrators expressed their incomprehension: "It is anything, why the prefect changes his mind like that? "Wonders Samira, 24, from Pontoise (Val-d'Oise). "They want to create tension, so it looks like we are peaceful. I will stay and continue to sing and demonstrate, ”she continues.

Believing that it was "odious" as a way of proceeding, Jean-Luc Mélenchon asked from the Place de la République that we "let people move". "It is a way of maintaining a very unhealthy climate in France where everyone looks at each other at an angle," he said.

A racist banner

In addition, right-wing identity activists disrupted the demonstration by bursting onto the roof of buildings adjoining Place de la République. Equipped with blue, white and red smoke bombs, the activists briefly displayed a banner denouncing "anti-white racism" before it was torn apart by demonstrators, to the applause of the crowd.

The far-right collective Génération identitaire has just deployed a banner on the roof of a building in place de la #Republique under the hoots of protesters gathered against #racism. Activists managed to climb to the top floor to tear the banner apart. pic.twitter.com/MkwTyGWIPm

The rally is organized at the call of the Adama Traoré committee, named after the young black man who died in July 2016 after his arrest by gendarmes in the Paris region.

Assa Traoré, the young man's sister and figure on the committee, called to march to "denounce the denial of justice, to denounce social, racial and police violence", again calling for the indictment of the gendarmes implicated in the arrest of his brother.

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