Tunisian Man Who Attacked Police During Pro-Gaza Rally in Paris, Jailed
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A Tunisian man who hurled a metal bar at police during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Paris was sentenced to two months in prison.
The prosecution wanted a one year sentence for the 34-year-old Tunisian national, but the Paris Correctional Tribunal sentenced him to two months in jail and another two months suspended sentence, the news site 20minutes.fr reported Wednesday.
The man, who was not named, has been in custody since July 22 and is expected to be released in the coming days, according to the report.
In addition to the incident involving the metal bar, he was convicted also of assaulting an officer at the police station after his arrest and using anti-Semitic language while in custody.
The assault took place July 19 in the center of Paris, when thousands gathered near the Gare du Nord train station for an unauthorized rally to protest Israel’s actions against Hamas.
That weekend, riots also erupted in the northern suburb of Sarcelles, where hundreds of men started fires and smashed the windows of shops at the heavily-Jewish municipality after police prevented them from approaching its main synagogue. Nearby, rioters hurled a firebomb at another synagogue, which sustained minor damage.
During his trial, the man denied any wrong doing, contending that someone threw the metal bar at him, and that he merely gave it to police.
French police have arrested dozens of alleged rioters who were suspected of violence at anti-Israel riots across France and mainly in Paris. So far, five of them have been sent to jail, 20minutes.fr reported.
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