Subscribe now for Gulf Times. By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your email exists. Members of the Chinese community in Paris march yesterday to demand greater security measures.
Thousands of ethnic Chinese staged a protest march in Paris yesterday over the fatal mugging of a Chinese tailor last month, as crime against community members has spiralled. Zhang Chaolin, who was 49, was set upon on August 7 by three muggers who tried to snatch a bag belonging to a friend of his. He died a few days later from his injuries.
Who will be next? An umbrella organisation, Stop the Violence, Security for All, called the protest two weeks after around 1, people marched in the Aubervilliers suburb north of Paris where Zhang was killed. Elected officials who joined the protest included the right-wing president of the greater Paris regional council, Valerie Pecresse. Security for All is demanding police reinforcements, more security cameras and recognition of anti-Asian racism. Yesterday Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve pledged to beef up the police presence in Aubervilliers and provide funding for security cameras.
Reported robberies targeting the Chinese community, who are seen as lucrative prey as they are thought to habitually carry large sums of cash, have tripled in the past year from 35 to The stereotype has prompted a string of attacks on Chinese tourists, including one early last month in which assailants sprayed teargas on members of a tour group before making off with their luggage.
He noted that authorities have begun cracking down harder on crime targeting the community, citing the example of a teenager with no prior police record who was jailed for two years for a violent theft.
