A man lunged at French far-right presidential hopeful Eric Zemmour, grabbing him by the neck as the former was about to kick off his first campaign rally. The event was mired by scuffles between his supporters and “anti-racists.”
Zemmour was making his way to the stage of his inaugurate campaign event in the Paris suburb of Villepinte on Sunday when a man appeared to have charged at him, briefly locking his arms behind the candidate’s neck.
The incident was captured on video, which has been making rounds online.
Zemmour’s security detail promptly rounded up the individual, handing him over to police. The man was taken into custody on suspicion of “premeditated violence,” French BFM TV channel reported. The alleged attacker was known to police over his involvement in “common law offences,” the channel said.
Seemingly unperturbed by the incident, Zemmour proceeded to the stage, hosting a rally before some 12,000-strong crowd despite reportedly injuring his wrist in the melee.
At his first rally since declaring his presidential bid, Zemmour, known primarily for his anti-immigrant stance, also vowed to withdraw France from NATO. Popular talk show host-turned politician, Zemmour pledged to protect French businesses from American and Chinese corporations, raise workers’ compensation and remove the teaching of “inclusiveness” from school curriculum.
At one point the fired-up crowd broke out into singing the French national anthem, ‘La Marseillaise.’
WATCH: French presidential hopeful Éric #Zemmour holds a big rally. The crowd sang “La Marseillaise” as Zemmour spoke about dismantling “illegal immigration networks” and restoring France to greatness. Some say Zemmour is France’s Tucker Carlson.pic.twitter.com/j0gylymj4c
The event was mired by violent clashes between Zemmour’s supporters and self-styled anti-racism activists. About a dozen members of SOS Racisme group showed up at the rally with a “No to Racism” banner, and claimed that they were attacked by Zemmour’s supporters.
One clip shows an unknown man hitting a woman, apparently a SOS Racisme activist, at the beginning of the showdown.
Action de SOS Racisme ”Non aux racistes !” en fond de salle, devant les caméras des journalistes.
En réaction, des personnes attaquent, une chaise est lancée en l’air.
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Five people have been killed after security forces in Myanmar rammed an SUV into a crowd of anti-coup protesters in the Southeast Asian country’s largest city Yangon, local media have reported.
Dozens took part in the march early on Sunday, with people chanting slogans, carrying portraits of Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi and a large red banner that read: “Freedom from fear.”
The crowd occupied a road, blocking traffic on it, and security forces then used the harshest means to disperse the unsanctioned rally.Shocking videos uploaded to social media have shown a speeding car ramming into the demonstrators and knocking to the ground some who were unable to flee.
According to witnesses, soldiers then got out of the SUV and started pursuing the scattering protesters, beating up and arresting those they could catch.
Junta Terrorists brutally cracked down the protest in #Yangon’s #KyiMyinDine town this morning. They opened gunfire and rammed vehicles into the crowd, KILLING at least 4 protesters and severely injuring many others. 2 women & 5 men were ABDUCTED so far. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmarpic.twitter.com/wx2OJW5wb2
Five people lost their lives as a result of the ramming, while 15 others ended up being detained, outlet Myanmar Now is reporting. Witnesses also spoke about dozens of injuries, with some people being left unconscious and others sustaining head wounds.
“I got hit and fell down in front of a truck. A soldier beat me with his rifle but I defended and pushed him back. Then he immediately shot at me as I ran away in a zig-zag pattern,” one of the protesters, who managed to escape, told Reuters.
Myanmar has been gripped by unrest since February when the military moved to arrest Aung San Suu Kyi and the country’s other top officials. Last month, they were charged with election fraud during the 2020 vote, but have rejected the accusations. International observers, who worked at the election said it was mostly free and fair.
Thousands of people took to streets across the country in the wake of the coup, but faced a violent crackdown, with police and military often resorting to the use of live fire against crowds.
More than 1,300 demonstrators have been killed in Myanmar during the last ten months, according to prisoners’ aid organization AAPP. The military denies these numbers.
The scale of demonstrations has subsided since the coup, with many protesters switching to guerrilla tactics and staging smaller ‘flash mob’ rallies across the country.
