Eric Zemmour at the Grand Opening in Villeurbanne: Scattered Opponents of Tear Gas

Some 300 people who had gathered on Saturday to protest Eric Zemmour’s visit to the cultural center in Villeurbanne dispersed peacefully after being stopped by the police, AFP notes.

The prefecture banned any demonstration in front of the hall of the Center for Culture and Social Life, where the former presidential candidate was to hold an autograph session for his book word.

The police, present in large numbers, used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators who were chanting “Zemmur, disband! “, managing to detain them behind a forbidden perimeter, a hundred meters from the entrance to the premises. Eric Zemmour, who arrived shortly after that through the back door from the center, was met by several hundred of his supporters who came to sign his book.

Three hours of signing completed without further incident

When asked about demonstrations interspersed with violence against the pension reform, the ex-journalist urged “to establish order and authority. I find it outrageous that we are leaving the abuses of these extremists and rebels.” “We have to work harder because we need to produce more. We are on our way to the third world,” he said.

The signing session lasted about three hours and ended without further incident. The protesters dispersed peacefully, many of them heading to the center of Lyon to take part in another demonstration against the proposed immigration law, which, according to the prefecture, attracted about 750 people, according to the organizers – a thousand people.

Eric Zemmour’s visit to Villeurbanne was initially banned by the city’s socialist town hall for fear of excesses. But the municipal decree, immediately attacked by the “said freedom” of the Reconquista, was suspended on Friday by the administrative court of Lyon.

“I take note of the decision of the administrative judge. As soon as they decide to continue with their event, I call on the organizers to take responsibility,” PS Mayor of this city bordering Lyon, Cédric van Stevendal, responded in a press release before calling for “complete calm.”