Jul 3, 2023 at 9:27 am BST
Updated 51 minutes ago
Image source: Getty Images
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Rioters run as French police use tear gas in Paris July 2
The unrest in France appears to be calming down after five days of violent protests in response to the shooting dead of teenage girl Nahel M in a traffic stop by police.
More than 150 people were arrested on Sunday night, compared to more than 700 the night before.
In the last few days there have been numerous calls for an end to the violence, including from Nahel’s family.
Mayors called for rallies in front of town halls on Monday to protest the violence and looting.
In Nahel’s hometown of Nanterre, Mayor Patrick Jarry expressed his delight that the violence had subsided, but added: “We should not lose sight of the incident that triggered this situation and the ongoing need for justice.”
The mayor of Reims told a crowd of several hundred that the rioters had “looted the shops they visit every day” and urged the state “to be firm so that the republic can survive”.
In a press release published on Sunday, an association of the country’s mayors noted that “communes across France are the scene of serious civil unrest, using extreme violence against republican symbols”.
“We refuse to allow our country to descend into chaos… Unfortunately, this situation comes as no surprise and for years France’s mayors have been sounding the alarm about the deterioration of our society,” the press release reads.
Since the riots began, rioters have damaged several town halls across France and attempted to set them on fire.
However, on Sunday night there was a significant decrease in the number of incidents registered compared to the previous week.
Last night 297 cars were torched, up from 1,900 on Thursday, while 34 buildings were damaged or set on fire, compared to more than 500 on Thursday.
On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron will meet the mayors of 220 urban areas affected by the violence.
On Sunday, a 24-year-old firefighter was killed trying to put out several cars that had been set alight in an underground car park in Seine-Saint-Denis, north of Paris, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said.
A spokesman for the Paris Fire Brigade told the BBC that at this point there is “no formal link” to the violence that has shaken France, but the Home Office said an inquiry is underway to clarify the circumstances surrounding the fire.
For the third day in a row, around 45,000 officers were deployed across the country.
At the weekend, the family of the teenager Nahel, who was killed by the police, called for calm.
And his grandmother accused the rioters of using Nahel’s death as an excuse and urged them to stop destroying public goods.
She also said her “heart ache” over a GoFundMe page for the family of the police officer who shot Nahel which has raised more than €923,000 (£792,880) as of Monday.