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Parisians march for Toulouse victims

March 25, 2012

As charges were read to the brother of the Toulouse gunman Mohamed Merah, thousands of Parisians took to the streets in a silent anti-racism march.

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Demonstrators hold a giant French flag as they attend a march in memory of the victims of Mohamed Merah
Image: dapd

Thousands of people participated in a silent march against racism and anti-Semitism in Paris as an anti-terror court in the city read preliminary charges to Abdelkader Merah, the brother of Toulouse gunman Mohamed Merah

Abdelkader Merah was placed in preventative custody after his appearance at France's anti-terror court where he is suspected of complicity to murder and involvement in a terrorist organization.

Under French law, preliminary charges mean there is a strong case against a defendant but magistrates would have further time to investigate.

Mohamed Merah claimed responsibility for the killings of three children, a rabbi and three paratroopers in shooting incidents in Toulouse earlier this month. He was killed in a shootout after a 32-hour standoff with police.

Abdelkader Merah claims he had no knowledge of his brother's plans before he carried them out, but has said he was "proud" of what Mohamed had done. He did admit to being present when his brother stole the scooter he used to flee the scene of the shooting attacks.

'Fundamentalist convictions'

Police and prosecutors have described Abdelkader as a more radical Islamist than his brother, noting that he has long been known to police for his "fundamentalist religious convictions," a police source said.

Abdelkader's wife, who had also been brought from Toulouse to Paris for further questioning by police, was released on Sunday. Her lawyer claimed she knew nothing of her husband's "double life" in an interview with France's BFM TV.

Paris: Gedenken an die Opfer von Toulouse # 26.03.2012 01 Uhr # frank23g # Journal Englisch

In addition to Sunday's march in Paris, a similar silent procession was held in Toulouse. Three hundred people in Strasbourg also gathered outside of a synagogue in support of the victims' families.

Meanwhile, Imad Ibn Ziaten, the first soldier to be killed in the Toulouse shootings, was buried at a ceremony in Morocco Sunday. He was laid to rest in his hometown of M'diq, with Marc Laffineur, France's minister for military veteran affairs, accompanying Ziaten's family on the trip from France.

mz/tj (AP, AFP, dpa)