George Floyd death: Paris bans protest planned outside US Embassy

By
Reuters
People protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, next to the U.S. embassy in Paris, France. Photo: Reuters/ File

As protests mount around the world over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, French police have banned a demonstration planned to take place in front of the US Embassy in Paris on Saturday.

The Paris police department said on Friday it decided to ban the demonstrations because of the risks of social disorder and health dangers from large gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Also read: George Floyd murder: Pakistani students in London show solidarity with protesters

Trouble had broken out at another anti-police demonstration in the French capital on Wednesday. Thousands had turned up despite a police ban on the event in memory of Adama Traore, a 24-year old black Frenchman who died in a 2016 police operation which some have likened to Floyd’s death.

Unrest has broken out across the United States after the killing of Floyd, a 46-year-old African American who died after a white policeman pinned his neck under a knee for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis on May 25.