45,000 police were on duty, but there were violent riots and looting for the fourth consecutive night.
Even on the fourth night after the death of a 17-year-old by police violence, there were serious riots across France. As of early Saturday, at least 471 people had been arrested across the country, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said. The riots also spread to French overseas territories in the Caribbean, where a ricochet killed one person. The 17-year-old who was killed during a police check will be buried on Saturday.
Even a massive police presence and officially mandated restrictions on public life failed to stop the renewed riots across France on Saturday night. Darmanin announced on Friday night that 45,000 police were to ensure order at night – including special forces. Demonstrations and events have been banned in major cities such as Lyon, Marseille and Strasbourg, broadcaster franceinfo reported.
Despite this, there were looting, material damage and violent clashes. According to media reports, there were particularly violent clashes in Marseille and Lyon. In Marseille, among other things, a supermarket was ransacked after an arson attack. Darmain said the overall violence was “much less intense”. He said: “The republic will win, not the protesters.” He did not believe that the state of emergency should be imposed.
The unrest was sparked by the death of a young man during a police check on Tuesday. A motorcycle patrol in Nanterre, near Paris, stopped 17-year-old Nahel behind the wheel of a car. As the young man suddenly left, a deadly shot was fired from the officer’s service weapon. The incident caused consternation across the country, and France has been rocked by violent unrest ever since. The police officer responsible for Nahel’s death has been arrested. A formal manslaughter investigation was launched against him.
More than 900 people were arrested on Friday night. 40,000 police were on duty. According to the Interior Ministry, around 250 police officers were injured.
The government responded to the riots on Friday with restrictions on public life, among other things. For example, trams and buses are no longer to run at night until further notice, major events have been cancelled, and the sale and transport of fireworks and flammable substances has been banned. As many of the protesters are very young, according to the government, President Emmanuel Macron appealed to parents to be responsible and blamed social media for the escalation of violence.
In Cayenne, capital of South American French Guiana, a man was killed by a ricochet on Friday night (local time) in connection with the unrest, according to local authorities. According to media reports, the man was an employee of the local administration.
According to a report by the France-Antilles regional portal, there was also violence in the Caribbean overseas territory of Martinique on Friday night. About 20 to 30 hooded people threw stones at police in the capital, Fort-de-France. Garbage cans were set on fire in several places.
Young people also gathered again in Brussels on Friday afternoon in response to the 17-year-old’s death. According to a police spokeswoman, they gathered in different locations after a call on social media. Meanwhile, around 50 people have been arrested pre-emptively, she said. Already on Thursday night there were clashes between young people and police in the Belgian capital.
French soccer star Kylian Mbappé was concerned about the 17-year-old’s death and warned of violence. “Since this tragic event, we have witnessed the expression of popular anger, whose content we understand, but whose form we cannot approve”, refers to the communiqué, which will have been published on Friday night together with other national players. Violence does not solve problems. “The time of violence must end to make way for a time of mourning, dialogue and reconstruction,” said Mbappé.