LOC14:17
11:17 GMT
PARIS, July 23 (KUNA) - French courts have taken swift action Wednesday against several anti-Israeli protesters arrested last Sunday in a banned demonstration in a Paris suburb, where a marginal group attacked some Jewish shops and caused material damage.
A court for the Sarcelles district in the northern suburbs handed down sentences of between six and ten months in jail to three young men in the twenties and gave suspended sentences and fines to others, media and judicial sources said.
The accused were brought to trial in an accelerated "immediate appearance" procedure that allows for a rapid hearing.
Sarcelles is a mixed, multi-ethnic area with Jewish, Muslim and Christian residents and it is viewed as a difficult and deprived area at the best of times.
The demonstration last Sunday got out of hand as small groups rampaged on the streets and clashed with riot police, but Interior Minister Bernard Cazneuve denied on "France Inter" radio that the Jewish synagogue was attacked by rioters.
"Police protected the synagogue and were thanked by Jewish people for this, "Cazneuve said, hinting that there was disinformation on the incidents in Sarcelles.
The stiff sentences handed out by the court set the stage for a mass protest in Paris later Wednesday that has been authorised this time by authorities because organisers have given guarantees they will prevent trouble in their ranks.
Pro-Palestinian groups have also called on the police authorities to prevent Jewish Defence League (JDL) militants from infiltrating and provoking demonstrators, a tactic that sparked clashes in another protest in Paris 10 days ago and created tension and clashes with police, who were accused of allowing the JDL militias to operate freely near the anti-Israeli march. (Pick up previous)
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