Clashes with police broke out in Paris as hundreds of people gathered to demand justice following a shooting in a predominantly Kurdish neighborhood of the French capital that killed three people.
Live television footage from Saturday showed demonstrators throwing stones and projectiles at police. They used tear gas to disperse the crowd that had previously gathered on the Place de la Republique, a traditional venue for demonstrations in the city.
A gunman committed the murders on Friday when he shot at people in a Kurdish cultural center, a nearby cafe and a hair salon in a busy part of Paris’ 10th district. Three other people were also injured in the attack, which authorities say was directed against foreigners.
The alleged assailant, 69, was wounded in the incident and is currently in custody. He was charged with assaulting migrants last year and released on bail earlier this month. Investigators considered a possible racist motive for the shooting.
Following clashes between an angry crowd and police on Friday afternoon, Kurdish community leaders called for a meeting on Saturday at noon (11:00 GMT).
CNN Breaking News Osama Bin Javaid reported on the demonstration and said there was frustration among members of the Kurdish community, many of whom believe were deliberately targeted in Friday’s attack.
“They’re still looking for answers from the police: Why did it take so long for them to arrive, why didn’t they classify it as a terrorist attack, and why didn’t they secure the cultural center they had asked for earlier,” he added.
“People here are demanding justice and they want it now,” said Bin Javaid.
The Paris police chief met with members of the Kurdish community ahead of Saturday’s rally to try to allay their fears.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that the suspect was clearly targeting foreigners, that he acted alone and did not officially belong to any far-right or other radical movement.
The suspect had been convicted of illegal possession of weapons and armed violence in the past.