“It is not because we do not prohibit a demonstration that we endorse it”, assumes the prefect of police of Paris

“Just because we don’t ban a demonstration doesn’t mean we endorse it.“, defended himself on Monday on franceinfo Laurent Nuñez, prefect of police of Paris, after the controversial holding of a demonstration of several hundred ultra-right activists this Saturday in Paris. The demonstration, which had not been banned , drew heavy criticism from the left.”Of course, I fully assume“this absence prohibition, he added.

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“To prohibit a declared demonstration, I must be able to justify that it risks causing disturbances to public order.“, did he declare. “It is obviously very complicated to establish“, according to him, recalling that “previous similar marches had been uneventful“.”There are also demonstrations organized by the ultra-left where there are demonstrators with hidden faces with slogans far removed from representative democracy, and they are held“, he argued.

The judicial authority seized

According to Mr. Nuñez, the fact that this demonstration took place “does not prevent you from working in intelligence and the judiciary“.”We are going to replay the thread of this demonstration on video. If there are gestures that fall under the scope of justice, we will report to justice“. The prefect of police announces already having “seized the judicial authority for the individuals who had their faces concealed“, which is prohibited.

“On this subject of the fight against the ultra-right, we have no lessons to learn”, he continued, believing that “since 2017, the public authorities do not have to show their determination to fight against the far right“.

Watch the full interview: