In Paris, a rally of thousands of protests against police violence took place in connection with new medical reports on the causes of the death of black man Adam Traore in 2016. Despite the ban on mass events due to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic, more than 20 thousand people took part in the demonstration, AFP reports.
Les forces de l'ordre progressent pour laisser les pompiers intervenir sur la barricade en feu #BlackLivesMatter #justicepourAdama pic.twitter.com/NQ7QcQs5b1
— Jonathan Moadab (@MoadabJ) June 2, 2020
Many protesters drew direct parallels with protests in the United States over the death of African-American George Floyd. Many of those present were holding tablets with the inscription “Black lives matter”, as well as the phrase “I can’t breathe,” which Floyd repeated before his death.
Charge des CRS à coups de matraques sur les manifestants #justicepourAdama #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/4bc90FFAtH
— Jonathan Moadab (@MoadabJ) June 2, 2020
The Paris demonstration escalated into clashes with the police. Protesters threw bottles and stones at law enforcement, set fire to garbage cans and bicycles, AFP reports. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Mass protests were also held in other French cities – 2500 people gathered in Lille, 1800 – in Marseille, 1200 participants – in Lyon.