Hundreds defy bans to rally against police

PARIS — Hundreds of protesters defied a ban to join a memorial rally in central Paris on Saturday for a young black man who died in police custody, while marches took place throughout France to denounce police brutality, as tensions ran high after days of rioting across the country.

Nationwide, around 5,900 people took to the streets, according to the interior ministry.

Adama Traore, who was 24 years old, died shortly after his arrest in 2016, sparking several nights of unrest that played out similarly to the weeklong rioting that erupted across the country in the wake of the point-blank shooting of 17-year-old Nahel M.

Seven years after the death of Adama Traore, his sister had planned to lead an annual commemorative march north of Paris in Persan and Beaumont-sur-Oise.

But fearful of reigniting recent unrest sparked by the police killing of Nahel at a traffic stop near Paris, a court ruled the chance of public disturbance was too high to allow the march to proceed.

In a video posted on Twitter, Assa Traore, Adama's older sister, denounced the decision.

"The government has decided to add fuel to the fire" and "not to respect the death of my little brother", she said.

She instead attended a rally in central Paris' Place de la Republique.

"We are marching for the youth to denounce police violence," she said at the rally, also attended by several lawmakers.

Concerns over resurgence

Worried about a resurgence of rioting as France celebrates Bastille Day on July 14, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told the daily Le Parisien that the government would deploy "massive means to protect the French" during the national holiday.

While she said Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin would give specifics, Borne announced a ban on the sale of fireworks, which had been used by rioters to target police.

The Paris rally for Traore had also been banned on the grounds that it could disrupt public order and a legal case has been opened against Assa Traore for organizing the event, police said.

Youssouf Traore, another of Assa Traore's brothers, was arrested and taken into custody on suspicion of violence against a person holding public authority, public prosecutors told AFP.

"The march went off peacefully, it was a success, we don't understand his arrest," Assa Traore said.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the hard-left France Unbowed party, castigated the government.

Many at the rally shouted "Justice for Nahel" before calmly dispersing later in the afternoon.

Around 30 demonstrations against police violence also took place across France, including in the southern port city of Marseille and Strasbourg in the east. Authorities in Lille banned a gathering.

Agencies Via Xinhua