Brawl At Rally: Eric Zemmour, French Far Rt Pres Candidate 'France's Trump'- Protests, Investigation

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- Eric Zemmour, French far-right presidential candidate delivers his speech during his first rally, Dec. 5, 2021 in Villepinte, north of Paris.
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- 'Investigation launched into brawl at French far-right rally.' Dozens detained after protesters attacked at campaign rally for presidential candidate Éric Zemmour. The Guardian, Dec. 6, 2021. - Excerpts, Ed.

French prosecutors have opened an investigation into violence that erupted at the first major campaign rally held by the far-right French presidential candidate Éric Zemmour. Shortly after Zemmour began speaking on Sunday evening, some of his supporters attacked a group of protesters from the campaign group SOS-Racism who had entered the rear of the venue wearing T-shirts reading “No to Racism”. The prosecutors’ office said police detained about 60 people after the brawl at a meeting hall in Villepinte, in a north-eastern suburb of Paris. One man was filmed repeatedly punching a female protester, & another woman was led out with blood running down her face, 5 protesters were injured in total.

“We didn’t imagine it would get this out of hand,” Dominique Sopo, president of SOS Racisme, told France Info radio, “The fact of going to a meeting in the French republic with T-shirts bearing the phrase “No to Racism” is now a provocation? I’d like to remind people that we’re a republic & in a republic, normally, you are able to say “No to Racism” everywhere.” He added: “You either have to be drunk with racism or be certain of your omnipotence to be able to act like that in front of cameras. It’s absolutely astonishing & it shows what this candidate is & what the public he draws is & who the militants who gathered there are.” Sopo said his organisation would also be lodging a police complaint.

As well as the violence targeting SOS Racisme campaigners, the prosecutors’ office said it was also investigating a fracas that involved Zemmour himself. Video images showed a man surging out of the crowd with arms outstretched as the candidate walked through throngs at the rally. The man appeared to briefly lock arms around Zemmour’s neck before he was pulled away. Zemmour suffered an injury to his wrist & a doctor signed him off work for 9 days..

In his speech, Zemmour, who has been described as France’s Donald Trump, railed against “elites”, whom he pitted against “the French people who have been here for a thousand years & wish to remain masters in their own country”. Judges, he said, were “under the orders of militant journalists” who “want to steal democracy … we won’t let them”. A far-right former television pundit & journalist, Zemmour declared last week he would be standing for the 2-round presidential election next April. Sunday he announced the name of his party Reconquête (Reconquest), & Monday his team said he had picked former army general Bertrand de la Chesnais as his campaign manager... More + Video,

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/06/investigation-launched-into-brawl-at-french-far-right-rally-eric-zemmour
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- 'France election: Probe opened into violence at rally of far-right presidential hopeful Eric Zemmour.' Euronews, https://www.euronews.com/2021/12/05/french-presidential-election-2022-far-right-zemmour-holds-first-rally-amid-protests