A protestor walks past burning debris following clashes with police in Paris Saturday, a day after three people were killed and others seriously injured after a gunman opened fire outside a Kurdish cultural center. Photo by Teresa Suarez/EPA-EFE
Dec. 24 (UPI) — Kurds staged protests in Paris Saturday in the wake of a shooting that left three people dead as reports emerged the shooter was motivated by racism.
Hundreds of people gathered for about an hour at Place de la République in Paris to pay tribute to the three Kurds killed and the three other people injured by the shootings on Friday, social media showed.
Demonstrators observed a moment of silence in memory of the victims and “all the Kurds who died for freedom” in the attack, which authorities say was carried out by a 69-year-old former French railway worker.
Many of those In the crowd waved flags of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and carried pictures of three Kurdish activists who were slain in Paris in January 2013.
Several incidences of violence broke out in the Place de la République district on the sidelines of the event shortly after 1 p.m., according to France Télévisions, while rocks were thrown and buses were damaged at the Place de la Bastille as the situation remained tense.
The suspect. who was arrested and hospitalized shortly after the incident, is accused of firing on a group of people standing in front of the Ahmet-Kaya Kurdish Cultural Center in the city’s 10th arrondissement.
Citing police sources, local reports indicated the suspect has admitted to having a racial motivation in the attack.
The suspect was under judicial supervision after being released from prison earlier this month and was accused of stabbing another person at his home in 2016, broadcaster France Info reported. A year ago he was accused of attacking a dozen migrants in Paris, allegedly slashing their tents with a sword.
“The Kurds of France have been the target of a heinous attack in the heart of Paris,” French President Emanuel Macron said in a tweet. “Thoughts to the victims, to the people who are struggling to live, to their families and loved ones. Recognition to our law enforcement for their courage and composure.”
“My deepest sympathies go out to the victims of the attack at the Kurdish cultural center in Paris,” added U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “My thoughts are with the members of the Kurdish community and people of France on this sad day.