The police authorities in western France fired tear gas at a bunch of protesters, after a series of violent clashes with the police occurred unexpectedly, triggered by the vigil of a man who died by drowning in the River Loire.
These violent clashes began during a rally that was organised over the death of Steve Maia Caniço, who was reported missing at a music festival that he attended in June. Steve Maia Caniço along with 14 other drunk people in that music festival died after they fell into the River Loire when the police had raided the music concert.
Around 38 days after his sudden disappearance at the music festival, the body of the 24-year-old Steve Maia Caniço was found on Tuesday, July 30. Ever since then, Caniço’s death has resulted in a provocative outcry by the French people, most of whom are convinced that Caniço’s death is a direct result of the police raids.
Many people are claiming that the police troops used entirely unnecessary extra force while trying to close down the concert, which took place at midnight. According to an investigation into Steve Maia Caniço’s death, no connection has so far been found between his death and the police raids.
An amicable tribute to Steve Maia Caniço took place on Saturday, August 3 without inciting any kind of violence. However, immediately after that tribute, a demonstration that was held to mourn the death of Steve Maia Caniço quickly descended into chaotic clashes between the police personnel and the demonstrators.
During these critical clashes, about 38 protesters were arrested by the French police forces, French newspaper Ouest-France reported. Thousands of individuals attended the rally, and some of the people were also wearing bandanas and masks to hide their faces from the media. Several protesters even broke down the barricades that were made up of wooden chairs and started to have bonfires.
Due to these protests, various parts of the city had to be shut down by the concerned authorities over serious fears of unrest. The Yellow-Vest protesters, whose demonstrations began in France in October 2018 and has attracted the eyeballs of millions of people all over the world, announced on their social media profiles that they are officially going to join this march.