Nationwide protests erupted in Paris after the new Security Bill passed in Paris under the Emmanuel Macron government. The tensions are particularly intense because of the recent beating of a Black music producer by the 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. Nearly 100 rallies were planned nationwide on Saturday over the draft bill that would outlaw taking photos of police with malevolent intent. Opponents say the bill undermines press freedom to document police brutality.
Close to three hours of teargas was let out by the police to contain the protestors. It marked the second consecutive weekend of unrest in Paris, provoked by recent episodes of police brutality and President Emmanuel Macron’s security plans, which the demonstrators say would restrict civil liberties.
France has been hit by a wave of street protests after the government introduced a security bill in parliament that set out to increase its surveillance tools and restrict rights on circulating images of police officers in the media and online. The bill was part of Macron’s drive to get tougher on law and order ahead of elections in 2022. His government also said the police needed to be better protected from online hate.