Thirty activists from the environmental movement Extinction Rebellion carried out a punching action " against police violence " on Tuesday at the Interior Ministry in Paris, two of them chained to the entrance gate of Beauvau, a found an AFP journalist.
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At least two activists climbed the entrance gates of the ministry, located a stone's throw from the Elysée Palace, and chained themselves there after having unrolled a red banner with the inscription " Less LBD, more turnips ", making reference to the Defense Ball Launcher, a controversial weapon used by law enforcement. Other activists, who passed " like tourists " according to a police source, also threw on the cobblestones of Place Beauvau red paint representing fake blood.
Police then climbed on the grid to take down the banner and dislodge and then arrest the two activists who continued to chant " Rebellion ", noted the AFP journalist. Thirty people participated in the action, according to a police source, adding that they would be fined for non-compliance with the ban on assembling more than 10 people.
" It is NOT with LBD and nurses on their knees that we can ensure the safety of citizens, " the association said in a statement. " The only way to secure our future is to live in a fairer and more resilient society ," he added. According to Extinction Rebellion, " our governments have always favored the security of private property at the expense of the living (...) or if there is one security that the government must ensure, it is our food security ".