02:19France: Prominent Yellow Vest activist Rodrigues calls for peaceful protests *EXCLUSIVE* *PARTNER CONTENT*
France: “Why should anyone call for anarchy?” Jerome Rodrigues on Yellow Vest protests *Partner content*
Jerome Rodrigues, a prominent activist in the Yellow Vests movement, raised concern about unacceptability of radical slogans during rallies during an interview in Paris on Wednesday.
“And the biggest gift for me was when during Act №9 children walked up to me to kiss me, to shake my hand which were glad to come to protests with their parents. So why should anyone call for anarchy, who should anyone call for destruction?” he said.
Jerome also noted that police trade unions forwarded supportive and encouraging messages to him.
Rodrigues received a bad injury to his eye during protests in Paris on 26 January. Jerome Rodrigues, a prominent activist in the Yellow Vests movement, raised concern about violence during the Yellow Vest protests in an interview in Paris on Wednesday.
“So why should anyone call for anarchy, who should anyone call for destruction? This is not in our interests, we are reasonable people, we will not destroy our own France,” Rodrigues, whose eye was injured during the protests on 26 January, said.
“I repeat my message which I forward to police officers: why do you counter us? Why does the government, which at the moment is no longer capable of taking responsibility for anything, beat us and you to a pulp?” he added.
“Our efforts are peaceful. This is my slogan. I am a humanist. I want protesters to be safe,” he said, adding that he planned briefly to attend another protest on Saturday.
Rodrigues was rushed to Hospital Cochin in Paris following the injury, where he was treated for an open wound to his eyeball. It is unknown if he will ever see from that eye again.
Officials have stated they believe the injury was caused by the sting grenade, which launches small rubber balls in every direction upon detonation, and not by a rubber bullet directly fired at him.
02:19France: “Why should anyone call for anarchy?” Jerome Rodrigues on Yellow Vest protests *Partner content*
Jerome Rodrigues, a prominent activist in the Yellow Vests movement, raised concern about unacceptability of radical slogans during rallies during an interview in Paris on Wednesday.
“And the biggest gift for me was when during Act №9 children walked up to me to kiss me, to shake my hand which were glad to come to protests with their parents. So why should anyone call for anarchy, who should anyone call for destruction?” he said.
Jerome also noted that police trade unions forwarded supportive and encouraging messages to him.
Rodrigues received a bad injury to his eye during protests in Paris on 26 January. Jerome Rodrigues, a prominent activist in the Yellow Vests movement, raised concern about violence during the Yellow Vest protests in an interview in Paris on Wednesday.
“So why should anyone call for anarchy, who should anyone call for destruction? This is not in our interests, we are reasonable people, we will not destroy our own France,” Rodrigues, whose eye was injured during the protests on 26 January, said.
“I repeat my message which I forward to police officers: why do you counter us? Why does the government, which at the moment is no longer capable of taking responsibility for anything, beat us and you to a pulp?” he added.
“Our efforts are peaceful. This is my slogan. I am a humanist. I want protesters to be safe,” he said, adding that he planned briefly to attend another protest on Saturday.
Rodrigues was rushed to Hospital Cochin in Paris following the injury, where he was treated for an open wound to his eyeball. It is unknown if he will ever see from that eye again.
Officials have stated they believe the injury was caused by the sting grenade, which launches small rubber balls in every direction upon detonation, and not by a rubber bullet directly fired at him.