In the evening hours of 4 June 2020, police officers deployed tear gas to disperse a group of approximately 2,000 protesters gathered near the Place de République in the northern city of Lille. The demonstrators gathered in the area to protest the recent death of an African American man in police custody in the northern U.S. city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, as well as to pay tribute to a black Frenchman who died in police custody in 2016. There were no reports of injuries during the clashes, which continued between a small number of protesters and police officers throughout the late evening hours.
Meanwhile, on 5 June French police officials announced that they will not allow another demonstration against police brutality scheduled outside of the U.S. Embassy in Paris on 6 June to go forward. Officials cited the potential for unrest, as well as public health concerns, as the reasons for not authorizing the demonstration. A nationwide ban on public gatherings of more than 10 people, enacted to prevent further spread of COVID-19, remains in place.
