“Citizens’ marches” filled with “mourning and anger” in protest against police brutality took place today in France, including Paris, after his death 17-year-old Nael by a police officer, sparking nights of violent riots across the country.

In Paris, more than 1,000 people gathered at noon in an annual demonstration in memory of Adama Traore, a young man who died during his arrest by police in 2016. This gathering was banned by the authorities who cited “dangers of disturbing public order”. Asa Traore, Adama’s sister who has a leading role in the fight against police brutality after her brother’s death, spoke in Democracy Square in front of many MPs from the opposition party Insubordinate France (radical left) and surrounded by many law enforcement officers.

“We are marching for the youth, to denounce police brutality. (…) They allow neo-Nazi marches, but we are not allowed to march,” she said, referring to a march of hundreds of far-right activists last May in Paris that caused controversy because the authorities gave permission for it to take place.

“France cannot teach moral lessons. Her police are racist, her police are violent,” said Asa Traore, who had announced her presence in Democracy Square this afternoon without directly inviting her supporters to follow her, in order not to be accused of organizing an illegal demonstration.

“The government has decided to add fuel to the fire” and “not to respect the death of my little brother,” Traore added, speaking of a “complete lack of respect” and calling the prefecture’s argument to ban the demonstration “a pretext.”

Shortly after her speech, security forces asked the crowd to disperse as protesters chanted “Justice for Nael,” reporters at the scene said. The protesters then left peacefully.

The prefect of Val d’Oise, who personally went to court to defend the ban, had argued that he did not have enough staff to “guarantee the safety” of the demonstration. “The law enforcement forces are exhausted,” he said.

“Mourning and Rage”

Thirty other demonstrations against police brutality took place in the country, from Paris to Marseille (south) and from Nantes (west) to Strasbourg (east). The planned march to Lille was banned.

In Strasbourg, about 400 people gatheredaccording to an AFP journalist.

In total, almost a hundred unions, unions and political parties mainly from the Left had called for “citizen marches” to express their “mourning and anger” and to denounce policies full of “discrimination” against working-class districts.

These organizations call for “a thorough reform of the police, their intervention techniques and their weaponry.”

Today, the French Foreign Ministry hit back at a panel of UN experts that had strongly criticized the handling of the riots by French police. The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) called on France to address “the structural and systemic causes of racial discrimination, including in law enforcement.”

“Any allegation of systemic racism or discrimination by law enforcement in France is unfounded,” the foreign ministry said.

Since June 27, more than 3,700 people have been arrested in connection with the riots, including about 1,160 minors, according to figures from the Justice Ministry, which said yesterday that nearly 400 people had been jailed.