France police arrest 20 in Paris over protests ban

Source:AFP Published: 2012-9-23 23:35:04

French police enforcing a ban on protests over an anti-Islam film and cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammed made 21 arrests in Paris on Saturday and thwarted plans for a march in a northern city.



Those arrested, who included several veiled women, were detained near the Place de la Concorde, where a week ago an unauthorized demo against the film led to 150 arrests, and near the Trocadero square by the Eiffel Tower.



Riot police were deployed at the city's Grand Mosque and other areas to enforce the ban on protests over the US-produced film "Innocence of Muslims" and the cartoons published in a French satirical magazine.



Two metro stations serving the Concorde area at the bottom of the Champs Elysees avenue were closed for security reasons, police said, adding that many of those arrested were detained for refusing to present ID papers.



AFP reporters in the northern city of Lille saw police stopping a group of about a dozen women trying to unfurl a banner and detaining a man who appeared to be giving orders to the women. The would-be protesters said they wanted to demonstrate against "provocations against Islam".



In Marseille in the south, a police helicopter and 60 riot police were deployed to prevent any protests, but only a single demonstrator turned out. Around 30 journalists were also on hand to witness the man's attempt to defy the ban.

Social networks have been awash this week with appeals for Muslims in France, home to western Europe's largest Islamic community, to hold fresh protests.

France's Muslim leaders however urged their community to respect the law.



Paris Grand Mosque head Dalil Boubakeur said Saturday that the absence of any serious trouble on Saturday showed that "the response of the Muslim community in France has been one of contemptuous silence in the face of those who sought to provoke."

Interior Minister Manuel Valls banned any protests this weekend saying they would inevitably threaten public order.

AFP



 



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