Local sources have reported that an initiative group has conducted a protest in connection with the police operation against Chechen refugees in Nice, France on June 7.

According to the report, on the morning of June 12, in front of the Basilica of Notre-Dame in Nice, France about 500 people gathered in memory of Aslan Dashlakayev, who died in the police operation. Then, the protestors walked silently to protest the injustice against peaceful Chechen refugees in France.

Michel Abada, head of the local humanitarian organization “the Children of Don Quixote (Les Enfants de Don Quichotte)” and one of the organizers of the protest, expressed that the purpose of the action was to bring out the truth, as well as pay tribute to the dead young Chechen man.

“It is not true what was said in this case. The intervention of police was completely unjustified. In total, eleven Chechens were arrested in Nice during the last week. All were released except for two who were not indicted as part of an antiterrorism operation but for a brawl that occurred a few days earlier at Cannes. In the operation of DCRI in the morning of June 7, a hundred police officers blew open the door and entered the flat with their guns while they were screaming. If the Chechens are not terrorists, it is unjustified aggression,” said Abada.

According to the participants of the protest, Aslan Dashlakayev had fled from the war and the atrocities of Russian forces like many other Chechen civilians. He had managed to get refugee status in France and looked for a job for himself. He had only two dreams, to have a job and a flat in order to get married and raise a family in peace. He had nearly achieved his dreams as he had found a job and he would rent a flat at the end of June, thus he had started preparing his marriage. No member of the Chechen community in Nice believed that he was a member of a terrorist organization but he is dead because of the police operation. Now, the General Inspectorate of the National Police of France declared that they have opened an investigation into the death of Aslan, but the Chechen community believes that there will be no justice.

On the other hand, another initiative group has declared that on June 16, between 5:00pm and 7:00pm there will be a protest at the “Place Beaubourg” in Paris against the behavior of French police.

Some videos from the protest meeting in Nice:

*Text was written by Waynakh Online and edited by Michael Capobianco