Paris: A group of people in black attire have initiated unrest in the French capital during a peaceful demonstration against the draft law criminalizing the display of images of law enforcement officers, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Saturday.
The legislation was passed at the French parliament’s lower house on Tuesday, immediately sparking a broad public decry, especially among journalists. The bill entails one-year imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euros (USD 54,000) in punishment for the distribution of images of police officers and gendarmes that can potentially lead to their physical and psychological harm.
The protest against the bill began around 2 pm Paris time (13:00 GMT) at the Place de la Republique square.
Approximately 1.5 hours later, the peaceful demonstration was joined by a group of people wearing all black who first yelled insults against law enforcement officers and then began throwing bottles and firecrackers at them.
Police began to retreat as rioters set a large trash can on fire.
The air smells like tear gas, according to the Sputnik correspondent.