News / France

Hundreds of police deployed to Paris suburbs amid angry protests

Sunday, 24 July 2016 5:58 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 24 July 2016 5:59 AM ]

This image taken on July 22, 2016 shows French security forces on patrol in Beaumont-sur-Oise following clashes between residents and police over the death of Adama Traore. ©AFP

Hundreds of French police forces have been deployed to a town near Paris as clashes continue over the death of a young man in police custody earlier this week.

Some 270 police officers were dispatched to the town of Beaumont-sur-Oise, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of the capital, Paris, on Saturday after several cars were burnt overnight there.

Adama Traore, a 24-year-old of the town, was reported to have died of a heart attack in police custody last Tuesday. He had been detained for interfering in the arrest of his brother in an extortion case, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

The death triggered a wave of nightly clashes between angry protesters and police in his town and nearby suburbs.

Traore’s relatives insist that the victim was fit and healthy at the time of the arrest, and that police beat him to death.

This image taken in the French town of Beaumont-sur-Oise on July 22, 2016 shows people holding a picture of Adama Traore as they attend a march organized in tribute to the 24-year old man. ©AFP

However, an autopsy later found that there was no evidence of police brutality. The medical examiner said there were scratches on the dead body, but no “marks of significant violence.”

Traore’s family has requested that another autopsy be carried out by independent examiners.

The clashes come as French police face allegations of brutality following months of violent anti-government protests across the country over changes in labor laws.

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