Strongly criticized after the holding of a demonstration by ultra-right activists on Saturday in Paris, the Paris police chief said he was unable to ban it and rejected any “complicity” with the movement.
“That’s totally wrong.” Accused of “tacit complicity” with the ultra-right by not having banned a demonstration bringing together hundreds of activists on Saturday in Paris, the Paris police chief defended himself on BFMTV.
Several elected representatives from the left and from the majority denounced the holding of this demonstration. The left criticized its authorization by the police headquarters, while demonstrations have been banned in certain localities during the trips of Emmanuel Macron.
“Under the hood or the mask of respectability, the far right remains the far right. The only change is the tacit complicity it enjoys from those who have decided to confront the left as a priority”, for example, wrote Olivier Faure, the boss of the Socialist Party, on his Twitter account.
Charges to which the prefect of police of Paris Laurent Nuñez answered on our antenna. “It is wrong to say that we show clemency, complicity in the face of the ultra-right (…) We are very active on the movement (…) We have no lesson to receive”, a- he launched.
No “risk of violence”
This Monday morning, the Paris police headquarters reacted to the controversy in a press release.
“A demonstration can only be prohibited in the event of a proven risk of disturbing public order”, she justified herself. “Insofar as this demonstration had not caused, in previous years, any overflow or disturbance to public order, the prefect of police was not justified in issuing a prohibition order against it.”
On BFMTV, Laurent Nuñez also made it clear: “Not prohibiting a demonstration does not mean endorsing what is said there.”
Analysis of upcoming videos
Most of the protesters had their faces covered by scarves, balaclavas or sunglasses, according to filmed images by a German association which fights against anti-democratic movements.
“Yes some people had their faces hidden, yes it’s an offence,” admitted the Paris police chief.
Laurent Nunez added that his teams were going to “observe the videos” to see “if there were any gestures or comments that fall under the law”, recalling that a hood was not a brake on the identification of individuals.
