MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th December, 2020) The Paris Police Prefecture warned participants of the security bill protests against remaining at the Place de la Republique square post the rally's end hour amid ongoing clashes and unrest.
A protest against a new security bill criminalizing the display of images of law enforcement officers in Paris escalated into unrest earlier in the day, prompting the police to fire tear gas repeatedly. As reported by a Sputnik correspondent, clashes are ongoing.
"The demonstration ended at 6 p.m. [17:00 GMT]. The law enforcement makes a warning. Leave the Place de la Republique square," the police said on Twitter.
According to another tweet an hour later, 42 people were detained during the Paris demonstration.
For the second Saturday on end, the French take to the streets in Paris and other cities against a draft security law whose Article 24 entails one year imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 Euros ($54,000) for the distribution of images and video containing identifiable personal details of police officers and gendarmes that can potentially lead to their physical and psychological harm.
As reported by the Sputnik correspondent, the Paris rally grew into unrest around 3 p.m. local time when a group of protesters in black attire began throwing rocks and fire crackers at the law enforcement, to which the latter responded by firing tear gas. Following a brief period of calm, the unrest escalated into pogroms, with cars set on fire, windows being smashed and surveillance cameras dismantled.
A similar protest in Paris last Saturday grew into massive unrest and resulted in multiple arrests.
The controversial bill was passed at the French parliament's lower house on November 24, immediately sparking a broad public decry, especially among journalists, even though the French government repeatedly assured them that the new law would not prevent them from duly exercising their professional activities.
Following the controversy, the lower house admitted that Article 24 could be revised. The bill is due for hearing at the upper house in January.
