Videos and pictures of police hitting demonstrators as officers forcibly removed refugees from tents wereposted online. Activists and refugee rights advocates who went to the square to help the refugees were also pushed back, among them Paris councilwoman Danielle Simonet from the left-wing La France insoumise party.
French Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin says he is launching a probe into clashes that broke out late on Monday as police cleared out a refugee camp in Paris’ Place de la Republique, adding that images of the scuffles were “shocking”. Also, an internal police investigation into allegations of misconduct by police during the camp clearance has been opened; conclusions are expected to be published within 48 hours.
Aid groups were on Tuesday attempting to find temporary shelter for a few hundred refugees and migrants forcibly removed from the short-lived camp.
The Police went further to lift tents with people inside, shaking them until they tumbled to the ground, and those who resisted were kicked or beaten with batons, according to the head of Doctors Without Borders in France, Corinne Torre.
The camp at Place de la Republique emerged just a week after police had cleared out a bigger campsite near the French national sports stadium.
The Paris police headquarters said the Republique camp had been evacuated because it was illegal, adding that it “invited” people to seek lodging offered by state or aid groups instead.
Opinion polls show voters are worried about the issue of migration, which in turn has driven support for far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who is likely to be President Emmanuel Macron’s main opponent in the next presidential election in 2022.
This is not looking for President Emmanuel Macron at the moment.
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