Anger after Paris hospital invasion
The French government has accused radicals of storming a famed Paris hospital during a fiery May Day, an incident that risks further raising tension between authorities and a nationwide protest movement.
Doctors at Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital where Diana, Princess of Wales died in 1997 after a car crash said on Thursday that protesters forced their way in and even tried to enter an intensive care unit.
The break-in drew a sharp response, with Prime Minister Edouard Philippe denouncing it as “totally irresponsible” and interior minister Christophe Castaner describing it as an attack on an intensive care unit.
But supporters of the “yellow vest” movement, whose protests have shaken the government of President Emmanuel Macron over the past half year, insisted the demonstrators were merely seeking refuge from teargas fired by police.
The incident came during a hugely tense May Day when police clashed with hardline protesters on the sidelines of the annual labour union march.
The hospital is near the Place d’Italie, where the march ended, with more than 30 people arrested for the break-in.
Hospital director Marie-Anne Ruder said the gate had been forced open and she saw dozens of people entering, some wearing the protesters’ trademark high-visibility yellow vests and others with their faces covered.
“Several dozen people tried to force the door into the intensive care unit,” she told RTL later, saying the security forces had removed the intruders.
Paris hospitals directorgeneral Martin Hirsch said it was not clear what motivated the intrusion. “I don’t know if they were looking for a particular injured person. I don’t know if it was an invasion or whether they were fleeing something,” he said, indicating there was no damage.
Health minister Agnes Buzyn told Europe 1 radio: “This is the first time there has been an act of violence at a hospital. I think all French people, like me, are extremely shocked.” /