Paris, May 13: French police have banned five demonstrations that far-right groups planned to stage in Paris over the weekend, a week after a similar rally sparked a heated public debate.
“The police prefecture prohibits several events organized in Paris for Saturday, May 13, and Sunday, May 14, 2023,” the statement read.
The order bans a march called by Place d’Armes to protest worsening living conditions, a demonstration organized by French Action under the motto “France in danger,” and rallies in tribute to Jeanne d’Arc by The Nationalists, Thinking About France, and French Action.
Police cited a risk of public order crimes, incitement of hatred, threats to national cohesion and controversy sparked by a demonstration held by the neo-Nazi May 9 Committee as the reasons for the ban.
Hundreds of black-clad demonstrators poured into the streets of Paris last Saturday to commemorate the death of French ultranationalist Sebastien Deyzieu in 1994. Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin said he had told police chiefs to prevent such rallies from happening again.
