Violence erupts in new Paris protest against security law

[ucrdem]

Source: France 24

Issued on: 05/12/2020 - 16:24

Violence erupted in Paris on Saturday for the second consecutive weekend at a mass protest against a new security law, with demonstrators clashing with police, vehicles set alight and shop windows smashed.

The weekly nationwide protests are becoming a major headache for President Emmanuel Macron's government, with tensions intensified by the beating of a black music producer by police last month.

Members of the Yellow Vests movement, which shook Macron with protests against economic hardship in France over the winter of 2018-2019, were also prominent in the rally.

Windows of a supermarket, property agency and bank were broken while several cars burst into flames along Avenue Gambetta as demonstrators marched towards Place de la République in eastern Paris, AFP reporters said.

Read more: https://www.france24.com/en/france/20201205-tear-gas-fired-as-thousands-protest-in-paris-against-security-bill

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[mr_lebowski]

1. Do they have Antifa and BLM in France?

Inquiring minds ...

[ucrdem]

2. not that I'm aware of

The groups involved today are Gilets Jaunes, who have been at it for two years, and newer groups protesting police violence generally and a police beating of a music producer on Nov. 30.

Today's protests are against Article 24, a measure Macron is trying to implement that would criminalize posting pictures of police personnel to social media under certain conditions. This is part of an anti-terrorism package responding to the beheading of Samuel Paty, which was widely deplored, and the measures while generally supported are seen as Draconian overreach by a good number of protesters all over France, who headed to Paris today for a mother-of-all protests that got pretty violent. No casualties that I've heard of. A little more info:

Objects were also thrown at police who responded by using tear gas, in a repeat of the violent scenes from the protests last weekend against the security law that would restrict publishing pictures of the faces of police.

Some demonstrators used objects left into the streets to create impromptu barricades that they then set on fire.

Protesters, some letting off smoke bombs and firecrackers, shouted slogans like "Everyone hates the police."

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin wrote on Twitter that 22 people had been detained in Paris so far by police, who he said were facing "very violent individuals".

Updated with info from the same link: https://www.france24.com/en/france/20201205-tear-gas-fired-as-thousands-protest-in-paris-against-security-bill

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p.s. I'd add that French media are keenly interested in US politics and while there may not be #BLM or #MeToo movements per se, they are watching us closely. Antifa I don't know too much about. Gilets Jaunes are a movement of aggrieved workers mainly protesting safety net cutbacks but also immigration. So there are similarities to US movements, but no direct correspondences.

[ucrdem]

3. Guardian: Vehicles set alight as thousands protest against police violence in Paris

Dec 5, 2020

Thousands of people protested in Paris on 5 December to denounce police violence and Emmanuel Macron’s security policy plans, which they say would infringe civil liberties. In one incident, police fired teargas and charged after fireworks were launched at their lines. Protesters set cars alight and smashed shop windows. There were violent clashes between protesters and police at a similar protest last week