French ministers aghast at support for boxer who fought police

PARIS: A former French boxing champion who surrendered to police after he was filmed raining blows on riot officers during a “yellow vest” protest has received tens of thousands of euros in public donations, infuriating government ministers.

A website set up to raise funds for the boxer Christophe Dettinger showed early on Tuesday that it had received pledges of more than 114,000 euros ($130,000) to help him. Saturday’s assault by Dettinger on police blocking a bridge over the river Seine has come to symbolize the increasingly violent nature of the protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s government.

Some among the protesters have hailed Dettinger a hero, but senior officials took offense. “Contributing to a fundraising kitty to support someone who attacked an officer is tantamount to being an accomplice to these grave acts of violence,” said Marlene Schiappa, junior minister for equality.