Protests erupt in Paris over police brutality amid unrest across France

Despite police restrictions, hundreds of individuals took to the streets of Paris on Saturday, July 8, to protest against police violence in France.

This demonstration was organized in memory of a 24-year-old Black man who died under police custody in 2016, adding fuel to the already volatile situation following six consecutive nights of riots over the alleged police killing of a 17-year-old teenager during a traffic stop.

Reuters reported that protestors gathered in defiance of a ban on the march for Adama Traore. The decision to prevent the protest was announced by the Paris police department, citing a potential threat to public order and the “context of tensions.” In response to the ban, protesters shifted their location to Boulevard Magenta after police dispersed the crowd initially gathered at Place de la Republique.

The original demonstration was set to take place in Beaumont-sur-Oise, a suburb of Paris where Traore died in 2016. Following the court’s decision to uphold the ban on Friday, the location was moved to central Paris. According to a Twitter statement by Traore’s older sister, Assa Traore, the government’s decision not to respect her younger brother’s death is an act of “adding fuel to the fire.”

French citizens protest against systemic racism and police violence despite government ban. Photo courtesy of jacqueline macou from Pixabay.

Paris Police Chief Laurent Nuñez expressed concerns that the march could attract radical elements with an intention to commit acts of violence, similar to the rationale provided for banning the original gathering.

The protests were triggered by circumstances that bore a striking resemblance to the George Floyd case in the US. Allegedly, Traore was pinned to the ground by officers and died of asphyxiation. France is currently grappling with a wave of unrest and riots, following the shooting of a North African teenager, Nahel M., in late June. The death has renewed widespread allegations of police violence, discrimination, and systemic racism within French law enforcement.

France’s largest employer federation, Medef, estimates the cost of the riots to exceed $1.1 billion after around 200 businesses were looted, and significant damage was inflicted on banks, tobacco stores, schools, town halls, and community centers.

Reports indicate that approximately 30 similar demonstrations are being planned across France over the weekend, including in cities like Lille, Marseille, Nantes, and Strasbourg.