The former leader of the Yellow Vests Movement, Jerome Rodrigues has been arrested by Police in Paris France, AFP reports.
According to the report, Jerome Rodrigues was arrested on Saturday near the Elysée, during a demonstration against health restrictions of which he has denied through his lawyers of being one of the organizers of the anti-pass demonstrations banned by the police.
Jérôme Rodrigues, placed in police custody for “organization of a prohibited demonstration” and “participation in a group formed to commit violence”, “wishes to indicate that he is in no way the organizer of this demonstration”, writes his attorney, Me David Libeskind in this press release.
“For many years he has only relayed information on his official Jerome Rodrigues Facebook page on the demonstrations,” he explains, adding that he also filmed the processions.
“However, for several years my client has been harassed by the police and the Paris police headquarters through repeated identity checks”, adds the council, observing that his client had “a criminal record judicial virgin” and had “never been the subject of any conviction”. “Jérôme Rodrigues would like to point out that he is a political prisoner,” he continues.
Jérôme was arrested near the Elysée, while the police restored traffic on the Avenue des Champs-Elysées where demonstrators participating in anti-pass convoys had burst into their vehicles.
“He had left the demonstration which was held at Place d’Italie and was going to the Champs-Elysées to see what was going on there”, explained to AFP Me Libeskind.
One of the best known of the “yellow vests” movement, Rodrigues lost an eye during a demonstration on January 26, 2019 , while he was filming the arrival of the procession at Place de la Bastille in Paris.