In an extraordinary incident at the Lyon judicial court, France, this Tuesday (July 4), chaos erupted as rioter supporters disrupted the trial of 25 defendants.
The courtroom was forced to evacuate due to a heated altercation.
A video shared by Lyon Mag shows a large gathering of ultra-left supporters attending the hearing to back those accused of firing mortars and looting during the riots in France last week.
The overwhelming presence of these supporters left some attendees standing at the back of the room, according to the French magazine.
The turmoil began when a man was caught filming the hearing on his phone, which is strictly prohibited.
The police promptly asked him to leave, sparking tensions among the attendees.
As a result, the court made the decision to clear the room and temporarily suspend the proceedings until the situation could be assessed.
Outside the courtroom, in the Salle des Pas Perdus, around 60 people began chanting slogans against the police, with phrases like “everyone hates the police” and “the police kill”.
The outburst left lawyers and defendants bewildered, while a few officers faced some pushing from the agitated crowd.
To restore order, police reinforcements were called in to escort the disruptive individuals out of the premises. Following the removal of the unruly audience, the hearing will now resume with only authorised personnel, including journalists and legal professionals present.
Unrest across France sparked by the police shooting of a 17-year-old appeared to slow down this week, but fires and vandalism continued to target public buildings, cars and municipal trash cans overnight into Monday.
The riots appeared driven by a teenage backlash. The interior minister said the average age of those arrested was 17 and that children as young as 12 or 13 had been detained for attacking law enforcement and setting fires.
