How George Floyd's death has reignited racism rage in France | Culture Clash

Assa Traore, sister of Adama Traore, raises her fist during a demonstration in Paris.
Assa Traore, sister of Adama Traore, raises her fist during a demonstration in Paris. Copyright Michel Euler/Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
By Alexander Morgan
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For some, the death of George Floyd has clear parallels with that of Adama Traoré in France.

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For Assa Traoré the parallels between her brother’s death and that of George Floyd are clear.

"They had the same words: "I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I can't breathe," she claimed. 

“They were put in chokeholds, Adama took the weight of three policemen on him, George Floyd took the weight of three policemen on him,” she said.

Adama Traoré died in police custody in Persan, France, four years ago. Traoré's family has repeatedly claimed police officers tackled him to the ground and that he died due to suffocation. 

The cause of Adama Traoré's death has never been definitely determined - other autopsies have rejected the idea of asphyxia. 

Watch this week's Culture Clash on how US protests reignited rage in France

Culture Clash: ‘I can’t breathe’.

France’s George Floyd: ‘They said the same words: I can’t breathe’. This is the story of Adama Traore. #CultureClash

Publiée par Euronews English sur Vendredi 5 juin 2020

On Tuesday, Assa spoke as 20,000 people gathered outside Paris’ courthouse in a banned protest against police violence.

The gathering had been banned on health grounds, but still the crowds came.

The vast majority were peaceful, but as the sun set clashes broke out as demonstrators burned bins and police fired tear gas.

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