French authorities have banned an annual march in memory of Adama Traoré, a 24-year-old black man who died in police custody in 2016, sparking anger and a court challenge by lawyers, reports The Guardian.
The government is still reeling from six nights of unrest after Nahel, a 17-year-old of Algerian background, was shot dead by police during a traffic stop in Nanterre, outside Paris. More than 23,000 fires were lit as young men clashed with police and threw fireworks at officers, 12,000 vehicles were torched, more than 2,000 public buildings were damaged and shops and supermarkets were looted.
Saturday’s march in memory of Traoré, who his family allege was pinned to the ground by officers and died of asphyxiation, was banned by the police prefect of Val-d’Oise. The prefect’s office cited potential trouble to public order in the towns of Persan and Beaumont-sur-Oise, which had seen unrest after Nahel’s death, including an arson attack on Persan town hall. The prefect’s office said there was a risk of “disruptive elements” turning up.
But members of the Traoré justice campaign, which supported Nahel’s mother in Nanterre last week, said banning Saturday’s march could worsen tensions over alleged police brutality and racism if a peaceful demonstration for justice was seen to be prevented. They said the march had taken place peacefully every year for seven years.
The organising committee said the Adama Traoré march was a “precious and necessary commemoration for our families and for all those who defend equality and want an end to police impunity”.
Traoré’s case, and the justice campaign led by his sister Assa Traoré, has become symbolic in France. In recent years he has sometimes been referred to as “France’s George Floyd”, in a comparison to the 2020 US case of an unarmed black man who died from asphyxiation after a white officer knelt on his neck. There have been no charges in the Traoré case, which the family want brought to court.