After a police officer fatally shot a 17-year-old during a traffic check near Paris, violent riots broke out again during the night in the capital and other French cities. In Lille, Nantes, Toulouse and Lyon, among others, people gathered to protest. Garbage cans, cars, a bus and a truck, construction machinery and even a Paris tram were set on fire.
President Emmanuel Macron has now scheduled a meeting of the crisis cabinet. Around 150 people were arrested across France, according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. On Twitter he spoke of a “night of unbearable violence against symbols of the republic”. City halls, schools and police stations were set on fire or attacked.
In the Paris suburb of Nanterre alone, where Nahel M. died on Tuesday, 2,000 officials were mobilized to curb renewed violent riots like the previous evening. There, demonstrators threw firecrackers at police officers and set cars on fire. There were at least 35 arrests in the Paris area, and a primary school went up in flames. The prison in Fresnes near the capital was also attacked with fireworks. The Paris fire brigade called on the population to only use the emergency call in urgent cases given the situation.
In Nice, southern France, two police stations and patrol cars were attacked with exploding fireworks. Rioters erected barricades and set fires. In Mons-en-Baroeul near Lille in northern France, hooded people devastated a mayor’s office, and a police station in nearby Roubaix was attacked.
Clashes also broke out in the southwestern French city of Toulouse, where several cars were set on fire and objects were thrown at police officers and firefighters, police sources said. The authorities in Lyon and Dijon reported similar scenes.
Mother calls for a funeral march
A funeral march is planned for this Thursday in Nanterre in memory of the young people who were killed. The mother of Nahel M. called for the rally.
A motorcycle patrol stopped the youngster at the wheel of a car on Tuesday morning. A video shows how the police officer aimed his gun at the level of the driver’s door in the stationary car. The situation appears to be under control and there are no signs of hectic movement. When the 17-year-old suddenly drives off, the officer fires at the youngster at close range, fatally hitting him in the chest. The car then drove a few meters further and rammed a roadblock. The officer remains in police custody. The 38-year-old is being investigated on suspicion of manslaughter.
19-year-old Guinean man dead
Meanwhile, a police officer in south-west France has also been accused of manslaughter. He is said to have fired a fatal shot at a 19-year-old from Guinea during a traffic stop on June 14, according to the Angoulême public prosecutor. The 52-year-old police officer was taken into custody. According to the first investigation results, the young man wanted to evade arrest during the control. He hit the cop in the leg as he reversed. The officer then fired the shot.
sti/djo (afp, rtr)
Source: DW
