Chinese Man Shot Dead at a Police Killing in Paris (Photo : Getty Images)
China demands an explanation on a Chinese man shot dead at a police killing in Paris.
Shaoyo Liu was shot at his Paris home by French police who were to respond to a call concerning an altercation. The incident set off the members of the Chinese community to rally in the French capital. Paris also received a sharp reaction from Beijing.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has called in a French diplomat due to the Sunday shooting.
On Monday, around 100 members of the French-Chinese community conducted marched on the streets of Paris' main Chinatown district in the 19th arrondissement.
The local police headquarters was thrown with projectiles by some of the demonstrators. A number of vehicles were set on fire in a fight with the riot police.
According to the police, the 56-year-old man assaulted the authorities with scissors and the officer shot him as self-defence. However, the man’s family told local media that he was cutting up fish with scissors when he was shot in front of his children.
A police spokesman said that the police had been called in to settle a “family row” and "as soon as they opened the door," Shaoyo attacked an officer with a blade, leaving him with a wound. To protect the officer, a colleague opened fire and shot the man.
Calvin Job, a lawyer of the man’s family, disagreed with the police statement saying that “he didn’t wound anyone.”
35 people were questioned by the police after the street protests on Monday while three officers were cured for slight injuries.
According to Spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Hua Chunying, China has filed an official complaint in the French Embassy in Beijing.
"We hope that our compatriots in France will make their complaints known in a reasonable and legal manner,” she said.
The Chinese government also appealed to French authorities to make a thorough investigation. It has also asked France to defend the citizens’ "security and rights."
In an official statement, the French Foreign Ministry said that an investigation was in progress into the shooting and that the security of Chinese citizens in France was a main concern for the government.
"Additional [security] measures have been taken in recent months and everything has been done to provide them with the best conditions for living here and for their security," it said.
Chinese communities hope that the Chinese man shot dead at a police killing in Paris will receive justice.
