"
Racism is a virus, stop
it": around a thousand people demonstrated on Saturday under the sun in Paris against racism and police violence, noted an AFP journalist.
Read also Has police violence really increased?
Gathered at Place du Châtelet, the demonstrators set off in the afternoon towards Place Stalingrad behind two banners proclaiming "stop to state crimes" and "wherever we come from, wherever we is born, our country is called Solidarity".
They responded to the call of the "Truth and Justice Mutual Aid Network" and the "Anti-racism and Solidarity Campaign" which brings together various organizations, including Attac, Right to Housing, the National High School Movement (MNL) or unions such as the FSU or Solidarity.
Regularization of undocumented migrants
The mobilization - on the occasion of the World Day against Racism and that also in March against police violence -, aims to "
reaffirm our values of anti-racism and equal rights
", explained to AFP Cybèle David, national secretary of Solidaires, citing among the demands the regularization of undocumented migrants.
“
What we are asking for is that this no longer be admissible in 2022, at a time when we are in the middle of the presidential election, that we stigmatize foreigners and foreigners, whereas at present, the war in Ukraine demonstrates that we are capable of welcoming refugees
”, also affirmed Raji Aletcheredji, federal secretary of Student Solidarity.
Victims of police violence
Relatives of victims of police violence were gathered behind the banner of the “Network of mutual aid” with t-shirts for “Lamine”, “Sabri”, “Ibrahima” or even “Cédric”.
Some took the floor to tell their story, like Lamine's sister, who died in 2007 "
by chokehold and belly tackle
", or this engineer father, who recounted his fight for the truth after the death of his son from 19 years old "
killed by a bullet in the heart during a banal road check
" in Marseille in 2021.
The procession, which takes place every year in mid-March, was blocked for a while, the demonstrators protesting against the important device put in place by the police.
“
When I see that there are more cop cars than demonstrators, it annoys me
”, stormed Martine Tessard, a retiree who has come every year “
for easily 15 years
”.
Other processions were planned in France, in Toulouse, Bordeaux or Lyon, according to the organizers.
