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Court allows Raphaël Arnault and Anaïs Belouassa-Cherifi event in Villeurbanne
An administrative court in Lyon partly struck down a prefectural ban issued over fears of clashes between radical groups. The conference had been blocked on public-order grounds.
A conference featuring La France Insoumise lawmakers Raphaël Arnault and Anaïs Belouassa-Cherifi in Villeurbanne on Friday, November 6, was allowed to go ahead at the last minute after a ruling by Lyon’s administrative court, according to France Info and AFP.
The court partly overturned an order issued Thursday by the Rhône prefecture, which had banned both the event and any gathering nearby. According to the ruling cited by AFP and reported by France Info, a measure that deprives two members of parliament of their freedom of expression could not be regarded as necessary to maintain public order.
France Info reported that the prefect had justified the ban by pointing to calls from far-right groups and the risk of clashes between radical groups that advocate the use of violence.
The event had initially been scheduled for Thursday in Lyon but was already called off over security concerns. France Info said authorities feared confrontations between far-right activists and Raphaël Arnault supporters, while Le Monde reported that the cancellation was decided by the district city hall responsible for the venue where his book Antifasciste was to be presented.
France Info also said that people close to the La France Insoumise lawmaker have been placed under formal investigation in the case surrounding the death of far-right activist Quentin Deranque, who was beaten to death in Lyon in February. Deranque’s family had strongly criticized the plan to hold the book event in Villeurbanne.
Lawyer Chirinne Ardakani, representing Arnault and Belouassa-Cherifi, challenged the prefect’s decision before the administrative court, arguing, according to France Info, that it was an unlawful ban infringing constitutionally protected freedoms of expression and assembly.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
