Violence against peaceful protesters and journalists is unacceptable, whether in the United States or elsewhere, France's foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a newspaper interview published on Sunday.
FILE PHOTO: French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian leaves the Elysee Presidential Palace after a weekly cabinet meeting, in Paris, France May 27, 2020 as France eases lockdown measures taken to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease COVID-19. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS
Asked about protests and rioting that have swept across U.S. cities since the death of unarmed black man George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, Le Drian told Le Telegramme that it was necessary to let people demonstrate freely. Video footage showing Floyd lying face down on a Minneapolis street on May 25 as a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes caused outrage. Protests sometimes marked by looting drew a strong response from police in some U.S. cities.
Le Drian, who is from the coastal region of Brittany, also reiterated France’s determination to defend access to British waters for French fisherman during talks over Britain’s future relationship with the European Union.
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