Two people were arrested, one of whom was taken into police custody, following incidents that occurred on the sidelines of an "
antifa
" demonstration that brought together more than 600 people in Nantes city center on Friday evening, according to police sources.
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A torchlight procession began around 7 p.m., bringing together around 600 people "
against fascism, capitalism, authoritarianism
", with smoke bombs and fireworks.
"
Down with the state, the cops and the fachos
," chanted the demonstrators, according to videos posted on Twitter.
The window of a Zara store was smashed and the front of a Monoprix degraded, according to a police source.
Jets of projectiles were fired at the security forces who responded with tear gas canisters.
Bar waiter and customer injured
The demonstration then went to a "
bar known to welcome far-right activists
", according to the "
Autonomous and committed media
" Nantes Révoltée.
A waiter and a customer at the bar were injured in an altercation with antifa activists but they did not wish to file a complaint, according to police sources.
Read alsoIn Nantes, hundreds of antifas attack the police on the sidelines of a meeting in Zemmour
The PS mayor of Nantes Johanna Rolland condemned "
strongly
" on Twitter "
the damage to which our city center has been subjected
" and provided her "
support for the traders concerned
".
The LR president of the Pays de la Loire region Christelle Morançais condemned the "
extremely serious
" facts.
"
Support and tribute to our police officers who are doing a remarkable job in the face of these ultraviolent groups
," she tweeted.
At the same time, a mass in memory of Louis XVI guillotined on January 21, 1793 was held "
without overflow
" at the Saint-Clément church, not far from the procession of the demonstration, according to police sources.
