Tag: Demonstration

Thousands rally against Tunisia president’s ‘coup’

TUNIS, Tunisia (AFP) — At least 6,000 Tunisians rallied on Sunday against a presidential power grab in the only democracy to have emerged from the Arab Spring uprisings a decade ago. Despite checkpoints and security screenings of protesters, it was the biggest rally yet against the actions of President Kais Saied, who on July 25 sacked the prime minister, suspended parliament and granted himself judicial powers, after months of political stalemate. Saied followed up the […]

Climate demonstrators invade Louis Vuitton catwalk show

PARIS, France (AFP) – Extinction Rebellion climate activists burst onto the catwalk at Louis Vuitton’s Tuesday Paris Fashion Week show to blast the industry’s impact on the environment. “Overconsumption = extinction”, a banner brandished by one demonstrator from the international civil disobedience movement against climate change read. She climbed onto the catwalk set up in the Louvre art gallery even as models were showing off the latest styles, before being hustled away by security guards, […]

Melbourne police fire to disperse violent anti-vaccine protest

MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Melbourne riot police used pepper spray, foam baton rounds and rubber ball grenades to disperse a violent protest against mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for construction workers Tuesday. More than 1,000 demonstrators wearing work boots and hi-vis jackets rampaged through the centre of Australia’s second-largest city, lighting flares, throwing bottles, attacking police cars and chanting their opposition to vaccines and lockdown restrictions. Melbourne has been in strict lockdown for seven weeks, as the […]

Hundreds protest virus measures in Finland, Sweden

HELSINKI, Finland (AFP) — Crowds gathered in the capitals of Finland and Sweden on Saturday as hundreds marched in protest over their governments’ measures to limit the spread of Covid-19. A protest in Helsinki that drew around 300 participants resulted in about 50 arrests, Finnish police tweeted. Organisers of the event in the centre of the capital announced there would be only six participants, the current limit on public gatherings due to the pandemic. Those […]

Philadelphia back under curfew after unrest over police killing

  NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Philadelphia was put under a curfew on Friday for the second time this week and National Guard troops were deployed in the US city after days of unrest following the police killing of a Black man. The city, the largest in the state of Pennsylvania, has seen looting, protests and clashes with police since Monday’s fatal shooting of 27-year-old Walter Wallace, which was captured on video posted to […]

Landmark protest in Mauritius over giant oil spill

PORT LOUIS, Mauritius (AFP) — Tens of thousands of Mauritians protested Saturday in the capital Saint-Louis over the government’s handling of a giant oil spill off its pristine Indian Ocean coast. The Japanese bulk carrier MV Wakashio crashed into a reef off southeastern Mauritius last month spewing more than 1,000 tonnes of oil into waters that are home to mangrove forests and endangered species. After the boat split in two, the larger piece was towed […]

148 arrested as PSG fans riot after defeat: Paris police

PARIS, France (AFP) — Police said Monday they arrested 148 people as Paris Saint-Germain fans set cars ablaze, smashed shop windows and clashed with police in the French capital after the team’s Champions League final defeat to Bayern Munich. The violence occurred around the Parc des Princes stadium and on the Champs-Elysees avenue during and after the match on Sunday night, police said on Twitter. Thousands of supporters had gathered at the Parc des Princes […]

Dozens of police injured in Berlin protests against virus curbs

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Some 45 police officers were injured in a wave of weekend demonstrations in Berlin including protests against coronavirus restrictions, police said as protesters gathered again in smaller numbers on Sunday. The unruly protests, in which many demonstrators failed to wear masks or respect social distancing rules, have sparked a chorus of condemnation including calls for tougher penalties against those who violate restrictions aimed at curbing transmission of the deadly virus. A […]

Thousands take to street in Albanian judge row

TIRANA, Albania (AFP) — Thousands protested on Monday in Albania’s capital city Tirana against a left-wing government that they accuse of trying to take control of the judiciary. President Ilir Meta, who organized the rally with the backing of the center-right opposition, accused Prime Minister Edi Rama of trying to control the nomination of judges to the Constitutional Court. Rama’s government launched a vetting procedure in 2016 aimed at rooting out corrupt judges and boosting […]

Six dead in protests against Indian citizenship law

    by Jalees Andrabi  / Anup Sharma / with Sailendra Sil in Kolkata GUWAHATI, India (AFP) — The death toll from violent protests in northeast India against a contentious citizenship law has risen to six, officials said Sunday, as authorities maintained internet bans and curfews to quell unrest. Tension remained high at the epicenter of the unrest in Assam state’s biggest city, Guwahati, with troops patrolling the streets in vehicles amid tight security. Some […]

Hundreds protest corruption in Kuwait

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait (AFP) — Hundreds protested in front of Kuwait’s parliament on Wednesday evening against the state’s perceived unwillingness to fight corruption, in a country where such events have periodically triggered political crises. The demonstrators called on the speaker of parliament Marzouq al-Ghanim to step down. “Resign! Resign, Marzouq, the Kuwaiti people don’t want you!”, they chanted. Other lawmakers have accused the speaker of corruption. The protesters had been mobilized by former lawmaker Saleh […]

Ecuador protest talks set for Sunday as capital locks down

by Katell ABIVEN / Hector Velasco QUITO, Ecuador (AFP) — A first meeting between Ecuador’s president and indigenous leaders will take place on Sunday, the United Nations said, after Lenin Moreno ordered a curfew and military control in the capital to try to quell deadly, anti-austerity protests. The rolling demonstrations have left six people dead and nearly 2,100 wounded or detained, according to authorities, with protesters on Saturday targeting a television station and a newspaper […]