Assa Traoré: "As long as there is no justice, we will not stop"

Text by: Nicolas Rocca Follow

Thousands of people demonstrated Tuesday, June 2 in Paris against police violence and racism, at the call of the Committee for Adama. Interview with its leader, Assa Traoré.

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More than 20,000 people gathered Tuesday, June 2, outside the Paris courthouse to demand an end to police violence and racism. Like the mobilizations for George Floyd in the United States, a name united the demonstrators: that of Adama Traoré, a young man who died in July 2016 in Beaumont-sur-Oise, after his arrest by gendarmes. Organized at the call of the Committee for Adama, the demonstration took place in a peaceful atmosphere for more than two hours, before scuffles broke out between demonstrators and police. Interview with Assa Traoré, big sister of Adama Traoré and coordinator of the Committee for Adama. 

RFI: Your call to demonstrate last night was overwhelmingly heard, more than 20,000 people were present, according to the prefecture, were you surprised by the renewed mobilization?

Assa Traoré: I was surprised, yes, that 40,000 people (the prefecture evokes more than 20,000 demonstrators, note), that the French people came out to demand truth and justice in the death of my little brother Adama for denounce the abominable crime of George Floyd, to denounce all injustices, discrimination and racism. Yesterday was a great show of strength.

Did you feel that the gathering was different in terms of the population that was present compared to the events that you usually organize?

It was really beautiful. We had all backgrounds, neighborhoods, downtown, of several origins, of all ages. It was France as we would like it to be, where everyone is together, gathered and walks side by side to ask for the same thing. It was a historic, magnificent march, a very beautiful gathering.

Can events in the United States change your movement in France?

Unfortunately, the tragedy and the death of George Floyd, like the images that froze the entire planet, directly echoed the death of my little brother, who died under the weight of these three gendarmes. The gendarmes' statements say that my brother was subjected to a stomach plating the day of his death and said the same words as George Floyd: "  I cannot breathe  ". There is clearly a similarity. 

Today, we will carry this movement nationally and internationally, things will evolve. French cameras are turned towards the United States, but what is happening in France is worse. The officers responsible for the death of George Floyd were dismissed immediately. In France justice refuses us a reconstitution. This is the French system

Yesterday was the first time that a march or rally carried out at the call of your association ended in violence. How do you position yourself with regard to this? How do you explain it?  

At a time when the planet is holding large gatherings, no country has forbidden the people to meet , except France. The only country that will show its repression in front of cameras around the world is France. The only responsible for the clashes at the end of the event is the prefect Lallement. The Adama committee has been organizing events for four years, all of our events are happening in the greatest normalcy. The fact of having prohibited the demonstration, of having put police officers in front of the demonstrators, of having police officers who went up on the roof of the court to throw projectiles, all that is the responsibility of the prefect Lallement. It was he who decided to send the police to attack the demonstrators.

Are you going to call other gatherings? 

For the moment I don't know, I will decide on a case by case basis to have better visibility. If these are rallies that denounce discrimination, we will also denounce it.

Let's talk about the investigation still going on around the death of your brother. As we know, the question of the origin of death is central to this issue. Two expert reports have recently made their findings. One, carried out at your request, concludes that it is indeed the ventral plating which caused the suffocation and the death of your brother. The other considers that it is a previous medical disorder which is at the origin. How to get out of this battle of experts and move the file forward?

I shouldn't be fighting for the truth in my brother's death. In my brother's case, we have judges who are in total denial of justice, who are going to protect the gendarmes at all costs, to ensure that they are not charged. False testimonies are attached to the file, witnesses who refuse to go to the summons, expert opinions are carried out by charlatan doctors. A cardiology expert says that my brother has no heart problem and an infectious disease specialist explains that he did not have an infectious problem.

And then there is a doctor who explains that Adama Traoré died of sickle cell anemia (an inherited disease that affects red blood cells which is essential for breathing). Geriatric specialists will question experts in cardiology. There is a serious problem. We are going to enter the Order of Physicians. The protection of judges against the gendarmes is denounced. An expert report released yesterday by a renowned doctor said that my brother died of his arrest. Expert doctors appointed by judges do no honor to medicine. So we denounce this justice.

You call on Emmanuel Macron to take a stand. What do you expect from him?

The president should ask for a real investigation, even if there is a separation of powers. Today, there is a problem in the Adama Traoré case, it is his role to ensure that justice is done properly.

During the demonstration, you assured that the next time you would not stay in court but that you would go inside. Do you think you will manage to obtain the trial of the accused gendarmes?

A country without justice is a country that calls for revolt. When you go outside, it's because you want justice. Until we have justice, we won't stop.

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