PARIS — Thousands of people around France protested a proposed bill that could make it more difficult for witnesses to film police officers, with tensions quickly rising at the Paris march Saturday as intruders set fire to several cars, pillaged a bank and tossed objects at police.
The protest-crashers, who disrupted a similar demonstration a week ago, formed a barricade on a section of the Paris route, temporarily blocking the march. Dressed in black and known as “black blocs,” the aggressive interlopers are a feared element at French demonstrations.
Police officers who have come under fire for alleged racial discrimination and gratuitous violence within their ranks were hard-pressed to stop the individuals seeding chaos at the march by several thousand people.
“Police mutilate, police kill,” read one banner carried by protesters.
President Emmanuel Macron triggered anger among police unions during a Friday interview with young French people in which he said that officers with violent behavior and “racist attitudes” must be tracked and sanctioned. Macron announced plans for an online platform the public can use to report and discuss misconduct and acts of bias by officers.
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In reaction, major police unions pressed colleagues to stop carrying out identity checks, which activists see as prime opportunities for discrimination.
The Interior Ministry said about 52,350 people demonstrated around France, including 5,000 in Paris.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said at least 64 people were arrested nationwide and eight officers were injured.
At the Paris march, the people who pillaged the bank along the route tossed furniture into the street and set it on fire as papers went flying. Shop windows were broken, and several cars and at least one motorcycle were set on fire.
Security forces dodged flying objects or stopped them with their shields. One officer was seen blocking a flaming projectile that appeared to be a Molotov cocktail.
“This is urban violence, not a demonstration,” Bruno Bartocetti, head of the SGP-Police FO union, said on the CNews TV channel.
The marches drew a diverse lot of protesters, but was focused on a security bill that includes an article aimed at outlawing the publication of images of police officers with intent to cause them harm. The provision caused such an uproar that the government decided last week to rewrite it.
Gallery: France protests
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Critics fear that in its current form, the law could impinge on press freedom and make it more difficult to expose police brutality.
Police misconduct has received fresh attention in France after video footage emerged last month of officers beating up a Black music producer, Michel Zecler. Four of the officers were placed under investigation and two of them jailed.
A protester on a bicycle releases a smoke flare during a demonstration, in Marseille, southern France, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. Thousands marched in protests around France on Saturday against a contested security bill with tensions quickly rising at the Paris march as intruders set fire to several cars, broke windows and tossed ojects at police. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Protesters walk through the tear gas during a demonstration in Lyon, central France, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. Thousands marched in protests around France on Saturday against a contested security bill with tensions quickly rising at the Paris march as intruders set fire to several cars, broke windows and tossed objects at police. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
Police officers gesture during a demonstration Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020 in Paris. Thousands marched in protests around France on Saturday against a contested security bill with tensions quickly rising at the Paris march as intruders set at least one car afire, broke windows and tossed projectiles at police. Saturday’s marches drew a diverse lot of protesters, but was focused on a security bill that includes an article aimed at banning the publication of images of police officers with intent to cause them harm. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
Youths pull garbage bins during a demonstration Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020 in Marseille, southern France. Thousands marched in protests around France on Saturday against a contested security bill with tensions quickly rising at the Paris march as intruders set fire to several cars, broke windows and tossed projectiles at police. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Youths walk through tear gas during a demonstration Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020 in Paris. Thousands marched in protests around France on Saturday against a contested security bill with tensions quickly rising at the Paris march as intruders set fire to several cars, broke windows and tossed projectiles at police. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)
Youths set up a barricade during a demonstration Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020 in Paris. Thousands marched in protests around France on Saturday against a contested security bill with tensions quickly rising at the Paris march as intruders set fire to several cars, broke windows and tossed projectiles at police. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)
A man holds a poster reading “Living yes, surviving no” during a demonstration Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020 in Paris. Thousands marched in protests around France on Saturday against a contested security bill with tensions quickly rising at the Paris march as intruders set at least one car afire, broke windows and tossed projectiles at police. Saturday’s marches drew a diverse lot of protesters, but was focused on a security bill that includes an article aimed at banning the publication of images of police officers with intent to cause them harm. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
A protester kneels in front of a burning car during a demonstration, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020 in Paris. Thousands marched in protests around France on Saturday against a contested security bill with tensions quickly rising at the Paris march as intruders set fire to several cars, broke windows and tossed projectiles at police. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)
A protester holds a poster reading ” When a vaccine against police violence” in front a barricade during a demonstration Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020 in Paris. Thousands marched in protests around France on Saturday against a contested security bill with tensions quickly rising at the Paris march as intruders set fire to several cars, broke windows and tossed projectiles at police. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)