Feb. 23 (UPI) — Police in Paris fired tear gas and arrested at least 26 people after hundreds of students held a protest on Thursday over the alleged sodomization by French police of a 22-year-old black man.
In the demonstrations, students, mainly high school students, blocked the entrances of at least 16 schools with items such as trash cans, some which were set ablaze, the Paris Board of Education said. The entrances to dozens of other schools were partially blocked.
“Blockages are not a legitimate way to protest. They endanger staff and students,” Gilles Pécout, head of the Paris Board of Education, said in a statement.
The demonstrations on Thursday are the latest protests over the alleged police abuse of the young black man, who said he was sodomized with a police baton, racially abused and beaten during an arrest on Feb. 2 when police were performing identity checks as they searched for drug dealers in northwest Paris. The French Interior Ministry said four officers have been charged with aggravated assault, one of which was also charged with rape, over the incident amid an investigation.
Police said the protests were not lawful because protesters were not granted prior permission. No serious injuries were reported but there were pictures and video of clashes between protesters and police. Up to 1,000 people participated in the demonstrations, CNN reported.
Protesters held signs and chanted slogans such as “No justice, no peace” and “Revenge for” the young black man. There were some acts of vandalism, such as the graffiti and the smashing of ATMs and windows.
Les grenades lacrymos explosent dans tous les sens à Nation pour le rassemblement lycéen #JusticePourTheo #blocuspourtheo pic.twitter.com/HUQU5lOVqj— Cyril Castell (@13kapsy) February 23, 2017
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.