Paris police said Saturday a climate march in the city had been disrupted by a group of 1,000 “violent individuals” and “radical” protesters.
“A black bloc is being formed inside the climate march. Please disengage from the violent groups and let police intervene,” Paris police said on Twitter, adding that its intervention would involve the use of tear gas.
According to AFP, police also used controversial non-lethal weapons known as lanceurs de balles de défense — or, more commonly, LBDs — which have drawn strong criticism from human rights groups.
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“Brutalities (not by climate activists) occurred at the front of the procession. Following tear gas the march has halted,” Greenpeace France tweeted, before adding: “Take no risk and leave the climate march.”
Authorities were braced for violence on Saturday as several marches were set to coincide in the French capital, with some 7,500 police officers mobilized.
A planned march for “climate and social justice” and a separate demonstration against French President Emmanuel Macron’s planned pension reforms both went ahead Saturday, as well as protests by the anti-establishment Yellow Jacket movement, whose members have been demonstrating across France every week since last November.
Source: Paris climate march disrupted by ‘radical’ protesters: police
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