France bans annual march commemorating death of black Frenchman
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Adama Traoré, commonly known as 'France's George Floyd', was killed back in 2016 in police custody.
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Marchers hold aloft a picture of Adama Traoré, sometimes referred to as ‘France’s George Floyd’, at a rally in 2016. (AFP)
After six nights of civil unrest, French authorities have deliberated to ban the seventh annual march commemorating the death of Adama Traoré, a 24-year-old Black Frenchman who died in Police custody, The Guardian reports.
According to his family, Adama died of asphyxiation after police officers pinned him down to the ground, similar to how George Floyd was killed by American cops back in 2020. Despite his family taking Adama's case to court, no charges were made.
The march commemorating the death of Adama scheduled for Saturday comes a week after the French police shot teenager Nahel Merzouk from point-blank on the outskirts of Paris.
The march was banned in a decree by the Val-d’Oise police prefect office, which cited trouble to public order as a pretext, justifying that there was a risk of "disruptive elements" ensuing.
The committee organizing the march, which they described as a “precious and necessary commemoration for all those who defend equality and want an end to police impunity”, said banning Saturday’s march could exacerbate public frustration against race-incentivized police brutality.
“It’s irresponsible of the government to ban these democratic and peaceful forms of expression,” Clémentine Autain, an MP for La France Insoumise said.
The French government seems to inch towards authoritarianism as it grapples with protests for Nahel's death. The Guardian reports that the French government believes that the recent unrest has been contained due to the tough legal action taken against the protestors.
After their cases were expedited before judges, several young protesters received severe prison sentences, as per the request of the justice minister for a “strong, firm and systematic” judicial response.
Read more: French policeman charged over teen's killing as protests continue
The killing of 17-year-old Nahel Marzouk at the hands of police in Hauts-de-Seine took place on June 27, which left France in unrest as overnight protests roamed the country.
Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron said enforcing social media blackouts and censoring posts should remain an option "when things get out of hand” in the country.
Macron accused the youth of using platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat to organize protests across France after a teenager was shot by police in a Paris suburb last week.
“We need to think about how young people use social networks … when things get out of hand, we may have to regulate them or cut them off," Macron stated.
Check out: Rooted division in France exposed in current protests
Macron's remarks sparked wide criticism, including by heads of political parties, accusing him of violating the rights of citizens.
The French President asked social media companies last week to maintain a “sense of responsibility” and remove posts deemed sensitive by the government, especially those calling for or recording violent protests.
French ministers met with representatives of TikTok and Snapchat last Friday to try and push the platforms to prohibit content showing footage of the protests or supporting them.
Read more: Riot vs protest: The West's exploitation of media hegemony
