- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Paris Suburbs on Fire: New Wave of Violence Spreads Across Communities - Videos

© REUTERS / TWITTER/@ECHOBANLIEUESA protester builds a barricade during clashes in Villeneuve-La-Garenne, France April 20, 2020, in this still image obtained from a social media video
A protester builds a barricade during clashes in Villeneuve-La-Garenne, France April 20, 2020, in this still image obtained from a social media video - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Despite being falsely reported by some media outlets as "anti-lockdown riots", in fact, the clashes started in the wake of an incident between French police and a 30-year-old motorcyclist. The latter was seriously injured under circumstances that are still being investigated.

Clashes between protesters and the police in the Paris suburb of Villeneuve-la-Garenne continued on 21 April with videos of protests showing people launching fireworks at law enforcement. The police, in turn, deployed reinforcements to deal with the disturbances.

The protests spilled over to the neighbouring communities of Asnieres, Aulnay-sous-Bois, Saint-Denis, Villepinte, and Neuilly-sur-Marne as well in some parts of the Hauts-de-Seine department - in the western suburbs of Paris. Authorities in Saint-Denis told AFP the protests that have been raging since 20 April started to calm down around 11:00 p.m. local time, adding that no actual clashes between the rioters and the police took place.

Videos purportedly from the scene suggest that the rioters set garbage bins on fire and launched fireworks in the direction of not only law enforcement, but also at firefighters, who came to put out the fires allegedly started by the protesters.

Injured Biker

The riots, which had previously been reported as "anti-lockdown" by the British tabloid the Daily Mail, started in the wake of an incident that left a 30-year-old motorcyclist with a broken leg after colliding with an open door of a police car. The circumstances of the incident, including on why the door was open in the first place, so far remain unclear.

The wheel of a van burns in Villeneuve-la-Garenne, in the northern suburbs of Paris, early on April 20, 2020 - Sputnik International
Daily Mail Falsely Brands Riots Against Police in Paris Suburbs as 'Anti-Lockdown' Protests

The authorities say that the police opened the door because they were about to stop the biker, who was travelling at a high rate of speed. At the same time, some witnesses and videos allegedly depicting the incidents on social media suggested that the door could have been opened deliberately in a bid to stop the biker.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала