Some 2,000 people, including many Senegalese, demonstrated on Saturday in Paris against President Macky Sall, described as a
"dictator"
, denouncing the postponement of the presidential election in their country and the repression in Senegal, which left two dead.
“The Senegalese came out en masse, despite the rain”
in Paris, the deputy for the Senegalese diaspora Alioune Sall (opposition) told AFP, who counted
“between 2,500 and 3,000”
participants.
“There were 2,000 demonstrators
,” the Paris police headquarters told AFP.
In the procession, protesters brandished posters
“Macky Sall is a security danger.
Macky Sall dictator”
,
“Senegal under dictatorship”
, or even
“No to a monarchical project in Senegal”
.
Slogans
“Macky resigns, Macron complicit”
were also chanted by the crowd, frustrated by a reaction considered timid by France to the indefinite postponement of the presidential election, initially scheduled for February 25, announced just a week ago by Senegalese President Macky Sall.
The National Assembly on Monday approved a postponement until December 15, after forcibly expelling opposition deputies.
Read alsoSenegal sinks into crisis after postponement of the presidential election
Last Sunday, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
“called on the (Senegalese) authorities to remove uncertainties around the electoral calendar so that the elections can be held as soon as possible”
, without further details.
Then on Wednesday, the head of French diplomacy Stéphane Séjourné described the situation in Senegal as
“very worrying”
, calling on Dakar to
“preserve the long and solid (Senegalese) democratic tradition and to guarantee all public freedoms”
.
Repression of demonstrations
However, Senegal plunged into crisis on Saturday after the repression of demonstrations during which two young men were killed.
“When people go out, we shoot them
,” denounced MP Alioune Sall.
“Not only does Macky Sall violate the Constitution, but his police bloodily repress the demonstrators.”
The postponement of the presidential election is seen by the Senegalese opposition as a strategy to avoid the defeat of the presidential candidate, or even to keep President Sall at the head of the country for several more years, which he denies.
“We French deputies from the Nupes (left) stand in solidarity with the opposition deputies in Senegal,” said parliamentarian Aurélien Taché (ecologist), to the cheers of the crowd. Democracy is a whole. You must fight for your people, you must fight for democracy, you must fight for freedom
,” he added.