Riots swelled in Paris for a third night, with hundreds of people protesting against police brutality and the recent killing of a Chinese man, Shaoyo Liu, on March 23 by police.

Riot police hurled tear gas at the crowd as demonstrations Wednesday night saw a police car firebombed, three officers injured and 35 people arrested.

Liu was killed by police Sunday in an incident where authorities allege that officers were called to his home due to a domestic dispute. The police officers claim that when they opened the door Liu rushed at them with a pair of scissors, stabbing one of them before being shot dead by the other.

But his family disputes the account, saying that there was no dispute, and that police broke down the door and shot him without warning. They also said he was holding the pair of scissors because he had been gutting fish for dinner.

“There was no dispute at all,” said Calvin Job, the family’s lawyer, as reported by The Times. “The police forced open the door, which threw (him) backwards. He did not rush at the officers. They shot him without warning. It’s very worrying.”

Liu’s death has also sparked a diplomatic row with Beijing, with China’s Foreign Ministry lodging an official complaint, urging the authorities to protect the “rights and security” of Chinese citizens.

His death comes a month after France’s President Francois Hollande amended the law to make it easier for policemen to use guns — from only in circumstances where their life is at risk, as before, to where they can now shoot to prevent a suspect from escaping arrest, or when someone “presents a threat.”

The riots also come after a month of similar protests against police brutality in the city, where people demonstrated over the abuse and rape of a young Black man by police in a Paris suburb [1].

Telesur

* “Paris Riots Rage on for 3^rd Night After Police Kill Chinese Man, Shaoyo Liu”. 30 March 2017:
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Paris-Riots-Rage-on-for-3rd-Night-After-Police-Kill-Chinese-Man-20170330-0009.html

French Cops Kill Chinese Man Sparking Protests, Police Violence

The protest follows several months of popular mobilizations across the country demanding justice over numerous cases of police violence, including sexual abuse.

A demonstration protesting police brutality is turning into a violent confrontation in Paris on Tuesday night, the second consecutive day of protests after police officers shot dead a Chinese man at his home Sunday.

A small group of people gathered again in front of the local police station shouting, “Murderers.” Social media users showed policemen throwing tear gas at them in a bid to disperse the protesters, some wearing protective masks.

On Monday night, the police arrested 35 people out of the 150 reportedly protesting in the northern 19^th district of Paris, according to France 24.

The protest follows several months of popular mobilizations across the country, including by high school students, demanding justice over several cases of killings and rapes by French police.

While police violence usually targets French people with African origins, this time the officers allegedly shot a man identified as Liu Shaoyo, a 56-year-old Chinese national, while responding to an emergency call from a neighbor who heard screams at the victim’s home.

While the police claimed the man attacked them with scissors before shooting, Calvin Job, the lawyer representing the victim’s family, said the victim was with his four children and was “cutting fish with scissors,” for the reason why he had scissors in his hands when “police officers kicked the door in, propelling him backward,” but never attacked the policemen according to one of his daughters. Police officers “fired without warning,” hitting the victim in the thorax, he added.

Adama Assa Traore, sister of Adama Traore who was killed as he was being arrested in July 2016, participated today in a meeting held at the Association of Chinese Nationals in France to express her solidarity and demand justice.

Telesur

* 28 March 2017:
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/French-Cops-Kill-Chinese-Man-Sparking-Protests-Police-Violence-20170328-0027.html