FRENCH POLICE AND GOVERNMENT UNDER FIRE FOR ALLOWING A NEO-NAZI RALLY IN PARIS

Tue 08 May 2023:

The Paris police force is the subject of heavy criticism after it allowed a group of 600-odd neo-Nazis to openly parade through the capital city last Saturday. Apart from the police force, France’s interior minister is also facing heat from the opposition and the public over inaction.

The march on Saturday saw hundreds of far-right extremists of “Comite du 9 Mai” (committee of May 9) dressed in black, walk through the city with flags and chant slogans to commemorate the death of Sebastien Deyzieu of the “Oeuvre Francaise” ultranationalist group in 1994.

Surprisingly, the march, which started from an upmarket Left Bank district of Paris was okayed by the city authorities and the police officers could be seen patrolling nearby. When quizzed about why the police was providing security to the group, the department said it did not have the legal powers to stop a protest/march unless there was a “proven risk to public order”.

“Given that this demonstration had not caused any problems or public order issues during previous years, the Paris prefect was not in a position to take steps to ban it,” the Paris police department said in a statement.

Notably, the march took place a couple of days before “Victory in Europe Day” (VE Day) – a public holiday in the country, used to commemorate the victory of Allied forces over Nazi Germany in 1945 and the lives lost fighting fascism.

Socialist Party Senator David Assouline slammed the march and demanded Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin to ‘explain’ himself.

“It’s unacceptable to have allowed 500 neo-Nazis and fascists to parade in the heart of Paris. Their organisations, the display of their ideology, slogans, insignias are as much an insult to the dead as an incitement to racial hatred,” tweeted Assouline.

French government crackdown on ‘saucepan’ protesters

While far-right activists were provided police protection, the authorities across the capital have been clamping down on protesters who are banging saucepans against the government for bringing the highly controversial ‘pension reforms’ law.

Fresh restrictions were imposed on saucepan protesters so as to prevent President Emmanuel Macron’s voice from being drowned out by the noise during public speeches.

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