Amid continuing tensions after rioting sparked by last month's fatal shooting of a teenager, police faced further accusations of brutality yesterday when video emerged of the arrest of the brother of a black man who died in custody seven years ago.
Youssouf Traoré, 29, was tackled forcefully to the ground and held face down by officers from a controversial rapid reaction force, BRAV-M, at an unauthorised march on Saturday in memory of his brother Adama, who died aged 24 in 2016.
The arrest at the march, which gathered an estimated 2,000 protesters in central Paris, and other images of demonstrators being violently pushed by officers were filmed by several witnesses and spread rapidly on social media.
Led by his sister Assa Traoré, the family allege Adama - who has been called "the French George Floyd" was pinned to the ground by police and died of asphyxiation. There have been no charges in the case, which they want brought to court.
Paris police forbade the annual march - which had been banned from its original route outside the capital - saying it was "likely to attract radical elements seeking to commit acts of violence" and authorities had not had enough time to prepare.
But Assa called for a peaceful gathering at Paris's Place de la République, telling the crowd: "France cannot give moral lessons: its police is racist, its police is violent."
This story is from the July 10, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the July 10, 2023 edition of The Guardian.
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