Last Saturday, the Paris police force received criticism for allowing a group of around 600 neo-Nazis to march openly through the city, while the French interior minister is also facing heat from the opposition and public over inaction. The march saw far-right extremists from the “Comite du 9 Mai” group dressed in black, waving flags and chanting slogans to commemorate the death of Sebastien Deyzieu of the ultranationalist “Oeuvre Francaise” group in 1994.
Despite the police patrolling nearby, the march was approved by the city authorities. The police department responded to questions regarding why they provided security to the group, saying that they did not have the legal powers to stop a protest unless there was a “proven risk to public order.”
The march took place a few days before “Victory in Europe Day” (VE Day), a public holiday in France used to commemorate the victory of Allied forces over Nazi Germany in 1945 and the lives lost fighting fascism. Socialist Party Senator David Assouline criticized the march and demanded that Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin explain himself, calling the march unacceptable and an incitement to racial hatred.
Meanwhile, authorities in Paris have been cracking down on protesters who are banging saucepans against the government’s highly controversial “pension reforms” law, while far-right activists were provided police protection. Restrictions were imposed on saucepan protesters to prevent President Emmanuel Macron’s voice from being drowned out by the noise during public speeches.
Macron attended a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe war memorial where saucepan demonstrations were banned, and protesters in the eastern city of Lyon were forced to keep quiet when Macron paid tribute to French Resistance hero Jean Moulin. One trade union’s appeal was rejected by a local court.
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