2023-07-03 20:24:00
Photo: AFP
The infrastructures of the Olympic Games scheduled for next year in Paris reinforced their security as a result of the wave of violence in different cities of France after the death of a young descendant of immigrants, who was shot by the police last Tuesday during a control of transit in the capital of that country.
The Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castera, reported that The custody of the Olympic venues was “slightly reinforced” after the days of riots that left some 3,200 detainees, more than 700 injured officers, some 5,000 vehicles set on fire, 10,000 garbage cans burned and almost 1,000 buildings damaged throughout the territory.
“In the framework of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, we have taken measures in recent days to further strengthen the protection of infrastructures,” said the official on Monday at an act on violence in sport.
Oudéa-Castera regretted the image projected to the world with the demonstrations and stressed the restoration of social peace as a priority. “What is happening is obviously not good for the image of France, but there are priorities: the return of republican order, the end of the violence,” he said.
The case of London
The minister downplayed the consequences of the protests on the organization of the Games, recalling the experience in the United Kingdom a decade ago: “Events of this type had already taken place almost a year before the London Games (2012), with very strong manifestations of violence, and the edition of the Games was very positive”.
The Paris government ruled out that violence could alter the development of the Olympic event, but it did admitted his concern about the current context of urban violence.
“We are one year away from the Games. Do not confuse the deadlines,” said the first deputy to the mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire, on Monday during the presentation of the route of the Olympic flame, according to the AFP agency.
Some Paris 2024 venues are located in sensitive neighborhoods where there were serious disturbances over the police murder of Nahel M, a 17-year-old teenager.
A collection that sparked outrage
On the other hand, in a sample of the conflicting interests that French society has, a fund that was created in support of the family of the policeman who killed a young son of immigrants at point blank range has raised more than one million euros (almost $1.1 million).
Until this Monday, some 50,600 donations were recorded for a total amount of 1,002 million euros (1,093 million dollars at current exchange rates).
“Support for the family of the Nanterre policeman, Florian M., who did his job and who is paying a high price,” says Jean Messiha, a former spokesman for far-right politician Éric Zemmour, to attract donations.
The agent, who killed Nahel last Tuesday during a traffic control, is in pretrial detention accused of voluntary manslaughter.
The creation and success of this fund sparked outrage from the left opposition. The deputy Clémence Guetté denounced on her Twitter account the “absolute indecency and horror” that this collection represents.
“The message? A young Arab is worth killing,” condemned left-wing French MEP Manon Aubry, who called for the suppression of the request to receive donations posted on the GoFundMe site.
The far-right kitty in support of the man who killed #Nahel deemed to comply with its rules by the platform that hosts it.
It will reach the million euros. Indecency and absolute horror. pic.twitter.com/6qfm7bUhZF
— Clemence Guette (@Clemence_Guette) July 3, 2023
A spokesperson for the GoFundMe site told AFP that the request for donations was “in accordance” with its rules, since the funds “will be paid directly to the family in question”, which appears as “beneficiary”.
On the Leetchi site, another fund in support of the policeman’s family raised nearly 60,000 euros ($65,000).
Another fund, in this case in support of the family of Nahel, the victim, had almost 200,000 euros (about $218,000).
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