#Police close Paris restaurants and shops in fear of violent protests

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Thousands of people take part in a march against police brutality and racism in Paris, France, today.
Thibault Camus/AP

Paris restaurants and shops closed Saturday on police orders in advance of a march against police brutality and racism that officials feared could become violent.

Gatherings of more than 10 people remain legally banned in France because of coronavirus but police haven’t been able to enforce the measure in the wake of recent demonstrations stemming from George Floyd’s death in the US.

Protesters Saturday are expected to walk between the Place de la Republique in eastern Paris and the city’s main opera house. That march is among several demonstrations expected Saturday inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S., the Associated Press reported.

The Paris march was organized by supporters of Adama Traore, a French black man who died in police custody in 2016 in circumstances that have never been made clear. The protesters say they want “justice for Adama and all victims of police.”

Protests were also expected Saturday in Marseille, Lyon and other French cities.