Anti-capitalist, anarchist, and environmental protesters assaulted French police Sunday with shoes, bottles, and even votive candles stolen off memorials to the 158 people killed in the Nov. 13 Paris attacks.
These items had been placed on monuments and gates since the terror attacks. Riot police responded to the protesters with tear gas and arrested more than 280 people. Afterwards the street was littered with broken glass, candles, and flowers. Witnesses said the activists trampled floral and other tributes in the melee.
Dans la foule certains ont lancé des projectiles, en réponse les lacrymogènes des CRS #MarcheClimat pic.twitter.com/BKv6tmlqda
— Sophie Perez (@sophie_perez10) November 29, 2015
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The original protest was organized by the environmental group 350.org, which planned to have a human chain around the Bataclan theater, where the Paris attacks occurred. When anti-capitalists and anarchists eventually joined the event, violence erupted.
The rioters were protesting the COP 21 United Nations Climate Change Conference and the recent clamp down on public demonstrations due to security concerns, which cancelled environmentalist plans for a large march Sunday. A protester claimed that the riot was against the “police state” and against the crackdown on activism since the terror attacks.
https://youtu.be/qpbZOX44FP8
The rioting is a another bad sign for the Paris talks, which have been plagued with difficulties.
This report, by Andrew Follett, was cross-posted by arrangement with the Daily Caller News Foundation.