Emmanuel Macron wants to discuss the use of social networks by young protesters. Police are stepping up traffic controls to stop the purchase of fireworks.
The situation in France has largely calmed down after days of unrest following the death of a young man during a police check. As of Wednesday night, there were 16 arrests across the country, with no police officers injured, the Interior Ministry in Paris said. As reported by the newspaper “Le Parisien” about the ministry, 78 cars were set on fire across the country and eight buildings were set on fire. Police inspections were spared attacks.
Since the death of 17-year-old Nahel by a police bullet during a traffic stop on Tuesday last week, France has been rocked by serious unrest. There were repeated looting, arson attacks and violent clashes between police and protesters. The officer who shot the young man is being investigated on suspicion of manslaughter.
Projectile impact caused cardiac arrest
During nighttime riots in Marseille, a young man may have died after being shot by police with a rubber bullet. The 27-year-old died on Sunday night, presumably as a result of a “violent blow to the chest” caused by a “rubber bullet-type projectile”, the public prosecutor’s office in the southern French port city of Marseille told AFP. . news agency.
According to initial conclusions, the impact of the projectile led to cardiac arrest. At the time, the area had been rocked by “riots and looting”, prosecutors said. However, it is unclear if the 27-year-old took part in them. The Public Prosecutor’s Office began investigations into the circumstances, involving the Judiciary Police and the Police Supervision Institute (IGPN).
Macron blames social media for escalating violence
French President Emmanuel Macron pledged “fundamental responses” on Tuesday after days of unrest in the country. At a meeting with mayors, Macron also considered blocking online media in the fight against further unrest. It is necessary to think about the use of social networks by young protesters and possible bans, Macron said at the meeting, as reported by broadcaster BFMTV.
“And when things get out of hand, you may need to put yourself in a position to regulate or shut them down. You shouldn’t do this on the spur of the moment, and I’m glad we don’t have to do it,” the French president said at a meeting with 241 mayors of cities particularly affected by the unrest.
Macron has previously blamed social media for the escalation of violence at protests against police violence on Friday. Violent meetings were organized there. Macron, on the other hand, said that dealing with social networks should be thought about calmly. “Because when it becomes a tool for meetings or for trying to kill, it’s a real problem.”
In a meeting with the mayors, Macron said that it is not a question of repeating things that have been practiced for decades. What is needed is a “response at the level of what we have experienced”.
Paris police confiscate 300 kilos of fireworks
Paris police confiscated 300 kilos of fireworks during a traffic stop to prevent further violent protests. The pyrotechnics were discovered in the trunk of a car in the 18th arrondissement, city officials said late on Tuesday. The photos showed a pickup truck filled to the brim with boxes of fireworks. Three people were arrested, according to police. Checks must continue.
In northern France, controls at the border with Belgium have also been tightened to prevent the importation of fireworks, Le Parisien newspaper reported late on Tuesday, citing the prefecture. Protesters should be prevented from stocking up on fireworks. People with pyrotechnics have already been stopped on both sides of the border. The prefecture of northern France has ordered a ban on the sale and transport of fireworks and gasoline in cans until mid-July.
More than 3400 arrests
According to government information, more than 3,400 people have been arrested in riots in recent days. 684 police and firefighters were injured. The unrest has reached a peak, the president said, although caution is still needed in the coming days and weeks. “It’s the enduring order that we need to address as a top priority.”
Since the death of 17-year-old Nahel by a police bullet during a traffic stop on Tuesday last week, France has been rocked by serious unrest. There were repeated looting, arson attacks and violent clashes between police and protesters. The officer who shot the young man is being investigated on suspicion of manslaughter.
The 17-year-old resisted the police’s first request
According to new details, three young men were in the car stopped by the police. On Monday night, the newspaper “Le Parisien” published descriptions of what happened from the perspective of a 14-year-old boy who was sitting in the back seat, which his father sent the newspaper in writing. Nahel met the boy by chance in the morning and offered to take him to a school exam.
The boy reported that the 17-year-old did not heed an initial police request to stop. When traffic stopped, the officers reached the car and pointed their guns at the 17-year-old. One of them threatened to shoot him in the head. Panicked, Nahel may have taken his foot off the automatic car’s brake, causing it to move. One policeman asked the other to shoot. “He’s crazy, he shot,” said Nahel before collapsing lifelessly and the car crashed into a barrier.