Palestinian march in Paris defies ban, is met by tear gas

French riot police fired tear gas and used water cannons on defiant protesters supporting Palestinians in the Gaza Strip despite a ban on Saturday’s demonstration in the French capital

PARIS -- French riot police fired tear gas and used water cannons Saturday in Paris as protesters supporting Palestinians in the Gaza Strip defied a ban on marching in the French capital. Hundreds of people marched peacefully in other cities in France and elsewhere in Europe. In Paris, protesters scattered and played cat-and-mouse with security forces in the city's northern neighborhoods after their starting point for a planned march was blocked. Paris police chief Didier Lallement had ordered 4,200 security forces into the streets and closed shops around the kick-off point for the march in a working-class neighborhood after an administrative court confirmed the ban due to fears of violence. Authorities noted that a banned July 2014 pro-Palestinian protest against an Israeli offensive in Gaza degenerated into violence and running battles with police to justify the order against Saturday’s march.