In the aftermath of the attack in which three members of the Kurdish community lost their lives, several hundred people gathered on Saturday at midday Place de la République in Paris to pay tribute to them, as well as to the three injured by the shooting of a 69-year-old man, William M., whose custody was extended in the morning. But after a calm start, the demonstration degenerated.
Clashes quickly broke out between participants and the police. Around 1 p.m., smoke bombs, fireworks and a crowd movement were observed on the Boulevard du Temple, near the Place de la République. “There were provocateurs who passed in a vehicle with the Turkish flag making the sign of the Gray Wolves so automatically, that provoked the young people”, explained to BFM TV Berivan Firat, spokesperson for the Kurdish Democratic Council association in France.
Although organizers called for calm, the situation remained tense. As the speeches continued, protesters began to leave due to the rain. In the adjacent streets, incidents broke out when street furniture was targeted. At least four cars were overturned, including at least one set on fire, and garbage cans burned. A journalist from Brut also filmed a police vehicle forced to back up in the face of projectiles.
A few dozen demonstrators threw projectiles at the police who responded with tear gas. “Long live the resistance of the Kurdish people”, shouted several of them. “Groups of individuals launched projectiles. We initially let the security service manage the situation, ”said a police source, adding that members of the security forces were in the process of intervening on the spot.
The procession, originally several thousand people strong, split in two because of these tensions and only a few hundred demonstrators managed to reach the Place de la Bastille shortly after 2 p.m., the arrival point of the procession.
A gathering that started calmly
With closed or tearful faces, photos of the victims on their hearts, demonstrators came from all over Île-de-France and even from Germany, Tunisia and England to pay tribute to the three victims of Friday’s killing. The square surrounded by the police and firefighters is crowded and topped with a forest of flags.
Many left-wing elected officials, as well as the Renaissance deputy Sylvain Maillard, not to mention the spokespersons of associations against racism had marched on the stage. In the crowd, many demonstrators waved flags of the PKK (the Kurdistan Workers’ Party) or the effigy of three Kurdish activists murdered in January 2013 in Paris. A minute of silence was observed, in music, in memory of the victims and “all the Kurds who died for freedom”.
For many, it is a political act and not the gesture of an unbalanced person. Several demonstrators present denounced an “injustice” and a “terrorist” act. “What we feel is pain and incomprehension because this is not the first time this has happened,” said Esra, a 23-year-old student, her eyes red with tears.
“A terrorist and political character”
The suspect, of French nationality and aged 69, who had already committed violence with a weapon in the past, indicated during his arrest that he acted because he was “racist”. This reason was also retained by the investigation.
A little earlier in the morning, representatives of the Kurdish community had been received by the Paris police chief, Laurent Nuñez. “There is no doubt for us that these are political assassinations. The fact that our associations are targeted is of a terrorist and political nature,” said Agit Polat, spokesman for the Kurdish Democratic Council in France (CDKF) after the meeting.
Agit Polat also regretted a “lack of security” at the scene of the shootings, whose security is “under the responsibility of the French authorities”. Representatives of the Kurdish community are to be received this Saturday by the Minister of Justice, Éric Dupond-Moretti, his entourage confirms to Le Parisien.
The suspect, William M., is suspected of having opened fire on Friday rue d’Enghien, in the 10th arrondissement, killing three people and injuring three others at a Kurdish cultural center, in a lively and popular shopping district. of this community. In the minutes following the attack, the Kurds of France spoke of a “terrorist” act and blamed Turkey.