December 23, 2022 22:12
Today, Friday, French police used tear gas to disperse Kurdish demonstrators who gathered near a Kurdish cultural center in central Paris, after a gunman killed three people in front of it.
The clashes began when the crowd tried to break through a security cordon imposed by the police around Interior Minister Gerald Darmanan, who went to the scene of the attack to see the latest developments in the investigation and to speak to journalists.
The security forces fired tear gas canisters at the demonstrators, who for their part threw projectiles at them, burned garbage containers, and set up roadblocks in the street.
The windows of several cars parked in the area were smashed, as were police cars.
Some demonstrators chanted slogans in support of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a Kurdish organization that Turkey, the European Union and other countries classify as “terrorist”.
Several demonstrators had earlier tried to bypass the security cordon to reach the cultural center.
The center, which is under attack, is used by a charitable foundation that organizes concerts and exhibitions, and helps the Kurdish diaspora in the Paris region.
Darmanin told reporters that the shooter, a 69-year-old retired train driver, “clearly targeted foreigners,” adding that he was “not certain” whether he had tried to kill “Kurds in particular” or not.
“We still don’t know his exact motives,” the minister added.
In response to a question about whether any of the victims in Friday’s shooting were linked to the PKK, Darmanin said that the victims are apparently unknown to the French security services.
Source: agencies
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