Demonstrations in support of injured demonstrators in Sainte-Soline and against police violence took place across France this Thursday, March 30.
In Niort, Rennes, Nantes, Dijon, or even Lille and Strasbourg, demonstrations were called this Thursday by several collectives “ in support of the two demonstrators in a coma, the wounded of Sainte-Soline and the movement against pension reform “. For several days, accusations of police violence have been increasing on the part of unions, associations and certain elected officials after rallies during which demonstrators were injured.
In Nantes, they were about 1 700 gathered in the rain. The situation degenerated around 9 p.m., with the first jets of projectiles from the demonstrators towards the police who responded with tear gas.
The right to demonstrate in France is constitutional. It doesn’t deserve to lose a hand, an eye, your life.
In Nantes, words of demonstrators
Candles and remnants of pomegranates in Niort
In Niort, more than 400 people gathered without incident in front of the Deux-Sèvres prefecture, including members of the Bassines Non Merci collective, co-organizers of Saturday’s demonstration. More than fifty fragments of grenades collected in Sainte-Soline were deposited and 200 candles were to be lit at nightfall to symbolize the 200 wounded identified by the organizers. “ We won’t forget what Darmanin did, ever ! “Launched the spokesperson for Bassines Non Merci, Julien Le Guet, to the crowd, responding:” We don’t forget, we do not forgive “.
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In Paris, a rally was held in front of the Hôtel de Ville with several hundred people. Laurence Marandola, national secretary of the Confédération paysanne, who was present there, explains why her union called for a demonstration. “ We called for this rally in respect for the injured: citizens, activists, trade unionists […]. Some are in extremely serious situations. It is essential to calmly denounce these despicable police violence that the social movement is currently undergoingindignantly the trade unionist at the microphone of RFI. The policy of repression, intimidation and staging of this violence by the Ministry of the Interior is considered unacceptable. The Parisian gathering was followed by a spontaneous demonstration taking the direction of the places of the Bastille and the Republic.
Various gatherings took place peacefully: 300 people in front of the prefecture of Rennes and that of Dijon according to AFP estimates, 400 in Lyon, a few hundred in Strasbourg.
The Defender of Rights seized after the violence in Sainte-Soline
The families of the two demonstrators injured in Sainte-Soline, Mickaël and Serge, aged 34 and 32, filed a complaint in particular for “ attempted murder “. This Thursday evening, one of the two was still in a coma. Defender of Rights Claire Hédon took up their cases ex officio, the independent institution said on Thursday. The institution explains that it has seized in view of the seriousness of the injuries caused, possibly by weapons of intermediate strength, in the context of demonstrations “.
The Minister of the Interior had asked the prefects on Wednesday to reinforce security around the prefectures in the face of “ ultra-left threats and orders have been issued by several prefectures to ban demonstrations.
(And with AFP)
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