Protests, rioting, and looting continue across several cities in France as authorities brace for the fifth day of turmoil triggered by the killing of a 17-year-old by police. Reinforcements were sent to Marseille, Nanterre, Paris and other parts of the country that have been witnessing unrest for the last few days. The Emmanuel Macron government has said that the violence has “lessened” now but deployed 45,000 police to the streets nationwide to curtail the situation.
Meanwhile, hundreds of mourners from the country’s Islamic community formed a solemn procession from a mosque to a hillside cemetery, anguished and in tears on Saturday to pay tribute to Nahel.
More than 3,000 people have been detained or arrested overall since the teen's death in Nanterre, to the west of Paris. Over 700 people among these were detained on Sunday. Hundreds of police and firefighters have also been injured in the violence that erupted after the killing.
About 2,500 fires were set and stores were ransacked, according to authorities. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said 700 shops have been damaged and promised government support for owners.
While Nanterre and Marseille have been at the centre of the riots, Strasbourg, Aubervilliers, Roubaix, Montreuil and Drancy are among other cities affected by the violence.
Meanwhile, the riots also echoed in the neighbouring Swiss city of Lausanne where several shop windows and a shop door were broken. Authorities clashed with a group of youths who threw paving stones and a Molotov cocktail at them, police said. Seven people were detained, most of them teenagers.
Here are the top 5 developments:
1. A burning car hit the home of the mayor of the Paris suburb of l'Hay-les-Roses overnight. Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun said his wife and one of his children were injured in the attack at 1.30 am while the family was sleeping and he was in the town hall monitoring the violence.
Meanwhile, a nationwide nighttime shutdown was ordered for all public buses and trams, which have been at the helm of rioters’ targets. France interior minister Gérald Darmanin also warned social networks not to allow themselves to be used as channels for calls to violence.
2. The violence took an adverse turn on President Emmanuel Macron diplomatic standing after he scrapped an official trip to Germany after nights of unrest across France. This would have been the first state visit to Germany by a French president in 23 years.
3. Nahel (last name not made public for privacy), whose death spawned the anger was laid to rest on Saturday in a Muslim ceremony in Nanterre, a Paris suburb where emotions over his loss remain raw. He has been identified publicly only by his first name, Nahel.
4. The violence comes just a year before Paris and other French cities are scheduled to host the Summer Olympics, whose organisers were closely monitoring the situation as preparations for the Games continue.
5. Violence was also reported in the French-speaking city of Lausanne in Switzerland. Seven people were detained, most of them teenagers, after shops in the city were attacked in an "echo" of ongoing widespread violence in neighbouring France, according to police.
The AP reported that "several" shops were attacked and more than 100 people gathered in downtown Lausanne to respond to calls issued after the teen's killing in France.
In a separate but related development, on Thursday, about a dozen people were detained in the Belgian capital, Brussels, and several fires were brought under control, according to AP.
What is happening in France?
Cars and public buildings have been set on fire, while protesters clashed with police on the streets to rally against the French government’s excessive use of force. The latest spell of violence was triggered by the fatal shooting of the teenager on Tuesday that resurrected the age-old tabooed debate around race.
France is officially committed to a doctrine of colourblind universalism. Critics say that doctrine has masked generations of systemic racism. For a country where gun violence is not as prevalent as the United States, the incident has sent shockwaves across the world.
Nahel was shot during a traffic stop. A video showed two officers at the window of the car, one with his gun pointed at the driver. As the teenager pulled forward, the officer fired once through the windshield.
Nahel's family has roots in Algeria. Speaking to media channel France 5, Nahel's mother said she was angry at the officer who shot her son, but not at the police in general. "He saw a little Arab-looking kid, he wanted to take his life,” she said.
The officer accused of killing Nahel was given a preliminary charge of voluntary homicide, meaning that investigating magistrates strongly suspect wrongdoing, but need to investigate more before sending a case to trial. Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache said his initial investigation led him to conclude that the officer's use of his weapon wasn't legally justified.
Last year, 13 people who didn't comply with traffic stops were fatally shot by French police. This year, three more people, including Nahel, died under similar circumstances. The deaths have prompted demands for more accountability in France, which also saw racial justice protests after George Floyd's killing by police in Minnesota.
The latest turmoil is also a reminder of the 2005 riots in Clichy that shook France, prompted by the deaths of two teenagers electrocuted in a power substation while fleeing from police.
Despite the escalating crisis, Macron held off on declaring a state of emergency, an option used in 2005.
