Police and protesters clashed in Paris for a second day after a man on Dec. 23 opened fire at a Kurdish cultural centre and killed three people. A 69-year-old suspect shooter, who was wounded and detained, had since been removed from custody for health reasons.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said in an update on Dec. 24 that the suspect was moved to a police psychiatric facility. Questioning of the suspect was halted on medical grounds prior to his transfer. The man will be presented to an investigating magistrate when his health permits, according to the update.
The office noted that the man is facing potential charges of murder and attempted murder with a racist motive for the Dec. 23 shooting.
Shortly before midday on Dec. 23, the suspect had fired multiple shots at a Kurdish cultural center and a nearby cafe and hair salon in a busy part of Paris’ 10th district, according to the mayor of the area, Alexandra Cordebard. The area is home to several shops and restaurants, as well as a large Kurdish population.
Three Kurdish people died in the Dec. 23 shooting. Among them was a prominent feminist activist, as well as a singer who had arrived in France as a refugee.
Protest Turns Violent
On Dec. 24, thousands of people gathered at the Place de la Republique (the Republic Square) in eastern Paris—a location in the French capital that traditionally hosts various demonstrations. The gathering was organized by the Kurdish Democratic Council in France (CDK-F).The gathering was initially peaceful, with hundreds of Kurdish protesters, joined by politicians, including Cordebard, waving various flags and listening to tributes to the victims.
“We are not being protected at all. In 10 years, six Kurdish activists have been killed in the heart of Paris in broad daylight,” Berivan Firat, a spokesperson for the CDK-F, told news channel BFM TV at the demonstration.
She was referring to how three female Kurdish activists were found fatally shot at a Kurdish center in Paris back in January 2013. One of them was Sakine Cansiz, a founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.
Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said the demonstration on Dec. 24 then suddenly turned violent, but it wasn’t yet clear what had triggered the violence. He said on BFM TV that a few dozen protesters were responsible for the violence that day, which led to at least 11 arrests.
Firat said the gathering had taken a bad turn after some protesters were provoked by people in a passing vehicle making pro-Turkish gestures, including waving a Turkish flag.
Turkey’s army has long been battling against Kurdish militants affiliated with the banned PKK in southeast Turkey as well as in northern Iraq. Turkey’s military also recently launched a series of air and artillery strikes against Syrian Kurdish militant targets in northern Syria.
According to reports, some people threw various projectiles and set a few garbage bins, as well as cars, on fire. Some cars were overturned. Shop windows were damaged. Multiple fires were seen near the square.
