Demonstrations are organized this Saturday, June 13 in Paris and throughout France against racism and police violence, following the call for mobilization of the Adama Traoré committee.
The streets will carry today, Saturday 13 June, the fights of the moment. The fight against racism and police violence continues, with anger among law enforcement officials who say they are "thrown into the blue" by the Minister of the Interior.
The France-Presse agency recalls that the biggest parade is expected on Saturday in Paris from Place de la République to Opera and it is organized at 2:30 p.m. at the call of the committee Adama Traoré, young black man who died in July 2016 after his arrest by gendarmes in the Paris region.
The Paris prefect of police, Didier Lallement, asked for the closure of shops, drinking places and restaurants located on the course.
It's not just Paris, other parades are expected, notably in Marseille, departing from the Old Port, in Lyon place Bellecour, in Montpellier place de la Comédie, in Nantes place du Bouffay and in Saint-Nazaire, in Bordeaux place de la Bourse (with yellow vests) as well as in Strasbourg on Sunday.
Calls to protest on both sides
"We call on all the cities of France to come and demonstrate with us to demand truth and justice for Adama and all the victims of the police or the gendarmerie," says the Committee, which succeeded in mobilizing 20,000 people on June 2 before the Paris courthouse, according to the police headquarters. Since then, thousands of people have taken to the streets to denounce police violence and racism in France.
A tribute was paid in Paris to George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American who was killed on May 25 in Minneapolis by a white police officer, was paid last Tuesday, at the call of SOS Racisme. His death became a symbol of police violence and aroused unprecedented worldwide outrage.
On the government side, Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday in the Council of Ministers that racism is "a disease that affects the whole of society". He also said that law enforcement officials "the overwhelming majority of whom cannot be sullied". The head of state is expected to speak on this subject on Sunday during his speech.
Thursday evening, police gathered in front of police stations all over France, and notably put their handcuffs on the ground. And dozens of police demonstrated on Friday morning on the Champs-Élysées, at the request of the unions Alliance, synergie, SICP and UNSA.