Paris police brush aside criticism, defend permission given to neo-Nazi rally last Saturday

By Alaattin Dogru

ANKARA (AA) – Paris police granted permission for the neo-Nazi rally on the pretext that it posed no threat to public order, according to a statement released on Monday.

Hundreds of neo-Nazi supporters rallied in the capital on Saturday, drawing widespread criticism.

Paris police issued the statement explaining that a planned demonstration can be prohibited if authorities believe it can disrupt public order.

The rally is held every year, the statement said, adding that "this demonstration in the past years caused no trouble or disruption in public order, and police had no grounds to prohibit it."

More than 500 neo-Nazi supporters and members of the May-9 Committee (Comite du 9-Mai), rallied in Paris to commemorate Sebastien Deyzieu, a prominent figure of the far-right in France, who fell from a tall building and died while he was escaping police in 1994.