One of Assa Traoré’s brothers was arrested in Paris during the rally in tribute to Adama Traoré, according to information from franceinfo. The Paris police headquarters indicates that legal proceedings have been launched against Assa Traoré for “organizing an undeclared demonstration”.
Two people were arrested this Saturday for “violence against a person holding public authority”, committed at Place de la République in Paris, the police prefecture announced in a press release.
According to a source familiar with the matter at franceinfo, among the two people arrested, is a brother of Assa Traoré, who was arrested at the time of the dispersal of the rally in Paris, in tribute to Adama Traoré. Assa Traoré’s brother is accused of having “hit” to a police commissioner on the Place de la République in the early afternoon. He was later recognized in the rue du faubourg Saint-Martin. Assa Traoré’s brother was injured in the eye during his arrest.
He was taken into custody for “violence against persons holding public authority and rebellion”, indicates the Paris prosecutor’s office to franceinfo. Assa Traoré’s brother was admitted to hospital after his arrest, his lawyer told franceinfo without giving details of his state of health. The second person arrested is close to the “Truth for Adama” committee.
Legal proceedings initiated against Assa Traoré
Moreover, “the offense of organizing an undeclared demonstration being clearly characterized, legal proceedings are initiated against the organizer” Assa Traoré, continues in this press release the Paris police headquarters. It indicates that the demonstrators left the scene and that “There is no incident to report”.
An important police device was put in place this Saturday to prevent the holding of this demonstration place de la République where “checks followed by verbalization have been carried out”continues the Paris police headquarters. “The participants were forced, after being summoned to leave the premises”Then “a beginning of procession formed boulevard Magenta. This procession was blocked by the police”.
A demonstration without major incidents
At the time of the dispersal of the demonstration in Place de la République, Assa Traoré spoke while climbing on a bus shelter, noted a franceinfo journalist on the spot, to thank the participants and asked everyone to disperse, specifying that the demonstration was over.
At least 2,000 people gathered in Paris this Saturday, despite the ban from the police headquarters, this Saturday afternoon, in memory of Adama Traoré. A decree had been taken on Saturday to ban this gathering planned for the seven years of the death of Adama Traoré. On franceinfo, Assa Traoré denounced a “political ban”.
A demonstration in Val-d’Oise in memory of the 24-year-old, who died shortly after his arrest by gendarmes in July 2016, was also banned after the recent riots which followed the death of 17-year-old Nahel. Everywhere in France, “citizen marches” against police violence took place in several other cities in France.