According to AFP on the 6th, on the 5th local time, demonstrations took place in many cities in France again against the French government’s recent proposal of the Integral Security Law. According to the statistics of the French Ministry of the Interior, more than 50,000 people in France participated in about 90 demonstrations that day, including about 5,000 in Paris.
Interior Minister Dharmanin said at a press conference on the 6th that the demonstration resulted in the arrest of 95 people and the injury of 67 law enforcement personnel. In Paris alone, where the protests are most intense, 48 injured law enforcement personnel.
This is the second consecutive weekend of violent protests in Paris. According to the British Guardian on the 5th, protesters threw stones and firecrackers at the police and lit flares in Paris. The police responded with tear gas.
Protesters smashed windows, set up roadblocks, and tried to destroy surveillance cameras on the street. The demonstration eventually escalated into riots. According to the Paris Police Department, 400 to 500 looters infiltrated the procession, smashed the glass of some businesses and banks along the street, and burned some vehicles.
On November 24th local time, the controversial “Integral Security Law” passed the first reading in the French National Assembly. Article 24 of it stipulates that maliciously disseminate the image of the police and gendarmerie and disclose their facial features and identity information.
Violators will face up to one year’s imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euros. Al Jazeera in Qatar said on the 6th that the bill is part of French President Macron’s efforts to strengthen law and order before the 2022 elections.
The government also said that the police need better protection from online hatred. However, this legislation has aroused strong opposition from some people.
The BBC said on the 6th that critics said that media freedom and citizens’ right to film police operations cannot be hindered, and the French police are currently being closely monitored for suspected racism. Last month, Paris police brutally beat a black musician.
At the same time, the police punched, kicked and used tear gas at the peaceful protesting groups of refugees and immigrants in the Place du Republic of Paris.
On November 28, a large-scale demonstration broke out in several cities in France, and protesters demanded that the government delete article 24 of the Holistic Security Act. The local newspaper said on the 6th that the protest on the 5th was much smaller than last week.
