Alghadeer TV Alghadeer TV
Police have dispersed a march in memory of a young man who died during a 2019 raid in the western French city of Nantes on Monday. Officers have also broken up crowds at a music festival in Paris one day after a curfew was lifted.
Annual summer street music festivals were the first public events to be held after the 11 pm-6 am curfew was lifted in French cities, and were permitted as long as attendees followed health safety protocols.
Around 600 people gathered in Place du Bouffay in Nantes to march in memory of Steve Maia Canico, a 24-year-old man who drowned after falling into a river during a police raid at the festival in 2019. According to local media, people chanted, “Everyone hates the police,” and protested against coronavirus-related restrictions.
Première escarmouche avec les forces de l’ordre et premiers de gaz lacrymogènes. #Nantes @OuestFrance44 pic.twitter.com/wJX72WOn8u
— Kevin Grethen (@GrethenKevin) June 21, 2021
Police said that the rally was unauthorized and fired volleys of tear gas to prevent the procession from reaching the city center. Police later reported that 11 people were detained and four officers injured in the clashes.
La situation se tend à nouveau. Après avoir essuyé des jets de projectiles, les gendarmes mobiles arrosent les personnes présentes autour du Bouffay de lacrymogène. #Nantes @OuestFrance44 pic.twitter.com/8qiV1wE7HO
— Kevin Grethen (@GrethenKevin) June 21, 2021
Earlier that day, a separate march in memory of Canico brought together 1,100 people and took place peacefully. Participants brought roses and chanted, “We don’t forget, we don’t forgive,” with some wearing T-shirts bearing the words “Justice for Steve.”
ANNECY fête de la musique
Instruments lbd et gaz à gogo pic.twitter.com/fiA4m9LCoR
— Carter john (@Carterj37919661) June 21, 2021
Clashes also took place in the city of Annecy in southeastern France, where rioters threw glass bottles and other projectiles at police, who responded with tear gas. Regional authorities said on social media that two officers had sustained light injuries, while security officials told AFP that three officers were hurt. Police sources told the media that eight people were arrested.
According to Le Parisien newspaper, festival-goers in the French capital were banned from gathering in groups of more than 10 people outdoors. Nevertheless, thousands of revelers, who were not wearing masks or social distancing, flocked to the banks of the Seine and outside the iconic Hotel de Ville, as well as on the lawns of Les Invalides and the Tuileries Garden. Police were called in to break up the crowds, arresting 25, according to the media.
Les forces de l’ordre chargent pour disperser plusieurs centaines de jeunes qui s’étaient rassemblés rue Véron pour la #FeteDeLaMusique. #Paris #FeteDeLaMusique2021 #ProjetX pic.twitter.com/kleEDtWbEW
— Yazid Bouziar (@ybouziar) June 21, 2021
PARIS – Des milliers de jeunes font la fête devant l’Hotel de Ville : mouvement de foule quand la police arrive. #FeteDeLaMusique2021 #ProjetX https://t.co/pkXMaQmAqq pic.twitter.com/GOa0VKG6Rt
— Clément Lanot (@ClementLanot) June 21, 2021
The general requirement to wear masks outdoors in France was dropped last week. However, people still must cover their noses and mouth when attending large gatherings.
