Unrest erupted again in France on Wednesday as authorities deployed thousands of security forces to quell violent protests sparked by the deadly police shooting of a teenager.
French President Emmanuel Macron held an emergency meeting with senior ministers on Thursday and called the violence “unjustified”.
“The last few hours have been marked by scenes of violence against police stations, but also against schools and town halls … against institutions and the Republic,” Macron said at the meeting.
According to the Interior Ministry, 2,000 police officers were mobilized in the Paris region, and dozens of them were injured after the clashes.
“A night of unbearable violence against symbols of the Republic, in which town halls, schools and police stations were torched or attacked. Shame on those who didn’t call for calm,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter. He added that 150 people had been arrested.
The 17-year-old was shot in the chest at close range on Tuesday morning in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
The teenager’s death led to clashes and arson attacks in several Parisian suburbs on Tuesday night, with 31 people arrested and 24 police officers injured.
Anger and restlessness for the second time in a row
On Wednesday, similar incidents took place in Nanterre and other areas west of Paris, as well as in the eastern city of Dijon.
Clashes broke out between police and demonstrators in the northern city of Lille and Toulouse in the south-west, while riots also broke out in Amiens, Dijon and in the administrative department of Essonne south of the French capital, a police spokesman said
A bus was set on fire in the Essonne region after several passengers evacuated the passengers. Some protesters burned cars and set off firecrackers.
In Toulouse, cars were set on fire and projectiles were fired at the police officers and firefighters who intervened.
About 16 people were arrested across the country, according to police.
France tightens security after police shooting sparked unrest
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“Inexplicable and unforgivable,” says Macron
Police initially reported that an officer shot the teenager because he drove his car towards him.
But a video shared on social media and confirmed by news agencies Portal and AFP showed two police officers standing by the stationary car and one of them pointing a gun at the driver.
A voice is heard threatening the driver before the cop appears to shoot as the car abruptly pulls away.
President Emmanuel Macron, during an official visit to the southern city of Marseille, described the teenager’s killing as “inexplicable and unforgivable” and stressed that nothing could justify the death of a young person.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne admitted that the police operation “clearly did not correspond to the police’s rules of engagement”.
Some protesters burned cars and set off firecrackers. Image: Geoffroy VAN DER HASSELT/AFP
France debates police tactics and treatment of ethnic minorities
The incident has reignited debate in France about police tactics and the treatment of low-income people in suburbs, particularly those belonging to ethnic minorities.
It also drew attention to the increasing violent crime in the country.
The victim, named Nahel M., was a delivery driver. His mother called for a tribute march on TikTok.
Celebrities, including soccer player Kylian Mbappe and actor Omar Sy, expressed their sadness and outrage at the incident and called for justice.
The 38-year-old police officer who fired the fatal shot has been taken into custody and is being investigated for first degree murder.
The slain teenager’s lawyer, Yassine Bouzrou, plans to file an additional lawsuit alleging false testimony alleging that Nahel tried to run over the officers.
tg/sri (AFP, Portal)