LIVE: Parisians march against systemic racism and police brutality

Parisians take to the streets on Saturday, March 20, to protest against systemic racism and police brutality. Their demands range from creating an independent entity to supervise the use of force by police officers to reparation for those who have died in police custody. The protest has been organised by several activist groups, spurred by the International Day Against Police Brutality on March 15, and the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21. One of the main organisers is Assa Traore whose brother Adama died in police custody in 2016 after he had been stopped for an ID check by the police. Adama had reportedly tried to flee because he had no identification documents with his person. A 2018 medical assessment found Traore had died of asphyxiation after officers pinned him to the ground during his arrest. Another report suggests though that the 24-year-old’s principal cause of death was a ’heat stroke.’ The officers involved have not yet been investigated.​