Thousands of Kurdish activists and anti-racism groups protested in the French capital on Saturday to demand answers following the killing of three Kurds in a shooting in central Paris.

The shooting at a Kurdish cultural center shocked the community as it was preparing to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the killings of three Kurdish women in Paris.

Clashes between angry Kurds and the police broke out on Friday. The city's police chief met with members of the Kurdish community on the next day to allay their fears ahead of the rally.

Saturday's march was largely peaceful, but some scuffles broke out between groups of protesters and the police.

Small fires were set alight as several cars were overturned. Police fired tear gas to disperse the violence.

Possible racist motive

Police arrested the suspected gunman, a 69-year-old man who was charged last year with racist violence. His detention was extended on Saturday.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said the suspect was likely targeting foreigners but he was not officially affiliated with any far-right or radical groups.

Prosecutors said they were investigating possible racist motives, but Kurdish activists have demanded the shooting be considered a terror attack.

"We know that we are under threat, Kurds in general, Kurdish activists and militants. France owes us protection," Berivan Firat, a spokesperson for the Kurdish democratic council in France CDK-F, told BFM TV.

In 2013, three Kurdish women, including a founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), were killed in a shooting at a Kurdish center in Paris.

The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.