CERGY-PONTOISE, France: Dozens of marches have been announced against police violence in France for Saturday after the authorities banned a memorial rally, fearful of reigniting the recent unrest and violence that engulfed the country.
Seven years after a young black man, Adama Traore, died in police custody, his sister had decided to lead a commemorative march north of Paris in Persan and Beaumont-sur-Oise.
However, a court said the likelihood of public disorder was too high to allow the march because of the ongoing high tension levels following the police killing of 17-year-old Algerian-born teenager, Nahel at a traffic check last week. Adama’s older sister Assa Traore confirmed in a video that “there will be no march in Beaumont-sur-Oise” due to the court decision.
She claimed in the video that “the government has chosen to add fuel to the fire” and “not to respect the death of my little brother.” She stated she would go to a march on Saturday afternoon in central Paris’ Place de la Republique in place of the scheduled event to inform “the whole world that our dead have the right to exist, even in death.”
However, the Paris police headquarters has stated that this “march for justice” will be banned. An internet map shows about 30 similar protests against police brutality this weekend throughout France, including in Lille, Marseille, Nantes, and Strasbourg.
Calls for protests
Following the police shooting of Nahel M., several trade unions, political parties, and organizations urged supporters to participate in the Traore Memorial march this year. This is because France is currently dealing with claims of institutionalized racism in its police force.
In 2016, shortly after Traore’s arrest, when he was 24 years old, he passed away. This sparked several nights of turmoil that resembled the week-long rioting that broke out nationwide after Nahel was shot in the head during a traffic check.
A UN committee has urged France to outlaw racial profiling after the teenager’s killing on June 27 reignited long-standing claims of institutional racism among security services. However, far-right parties have suggested limits on immigration and have linked the country’s most violent and widespread riots since 2005 to mass migration.
Campaign organizations claim that Saturday’s “citizens’ marches” will allow people to voice their “grief and anger” about discriminatory police practices, particularly in working-class neighborhoods. They advocate for changes to police procedures, equipment, and policing strategies.
Government spokesman Olivier Veran criticized the groups for holding protests “in major cities that have not yet recovered from the rampages.” In connection with the protests since Nahel’s passing, more than 3,700 persons, including at least 1,160 minors, have been taken into police custody, according to official statistics.
