Global Courant
Protesters flee as French police officers use tear gas in Paris on July 2, 2023, five days after a 17-year-old man was killed by police in Nanterre, a western suburb of Paris.
Ludovic Marin | Afp | Getty Images
Riots across France eased overnight as tens of thousands of police officers were deployed to cities across the country following the funeral of a teenager whose police shooting has sparked nationwide unrest, the Interior Ministry said. Business Sunday.
The government mobilized 45,000 police officers to quell possible trouble after the funeral of Nahel, a 17-year-old boy of Algerian and Moroccan parents, who was shot by a police officer during a traffic check in the city on Tuesday. Parisian suburb Nanterre.
Since then, rioters have set fire to cars and public transport and looted shops, as well as attacking town halls, police stations and schools – buildings that represent the French state.
The Interior Ministry said 719 people were arrested Saturday night, down from 1,311 the night before and 875 on Thursday night.
“Forty-five thousand police officers and thousands of firefighters have been mobilized to maintain order. Their action… ensured a peaceful night,” the ministry said on its Twitter account.
One night’s biggest focal point was Marseille, where police fired tear gas and engaged in street battles with youths in the city center late into the night.
French police arrested 1,311 people nationwide in a fourth consecutive night of rioting over the murder of a teenager by police, the interior ministry said on July 1, 2023.
Ludovic Marin | Afp | Getty Images
China, along with some Western nations, has warned its citizens to be vigilant over the unrest, which could pose a major challenge to France during peak summer tourist season if it escalates around city center landmarks.
China’s consulate general has filed a formal complaint with France after the windows of a bus carrying a Chinese tour group were smashed on Thursday, resulting in minor injuries, the Chinese consular office said on Sunday.
Champ Elysees
In Paris, police increased security on the city’s landmark Champs Elysees avenue after a social media call for people to gather there. The street, usually full of tourists, was full of security forces conducting spot checks. Shop fronts were boarded up to prevent possible damage and looting.
There were sporadic clashes in the center of Paris. Paris police said six public buildings were damaged and five officers were injured in the overnight fighting. About 315 people were arrested in the city.
In the Greater Paris region, the house of the conservative mayor of L’Hay-les-Roses was looted, and his wife and children were targeted. The local prosecutor said an investigation has been opened into attempted murder.
There was also unrest in the Mediterranean city of Nice and the eastern city of Strasbourg.
President Emmanuel Macron has postponed a state visit to Germany, due to begin on Sunday, to deal with the worst crisis for his leadership since “Yellow Vest” protests paralyzed much of France in late 2018.
Hundreds of people lined up to enter the grand mosque of Nanterre for Nahel’s funeral. Volunteers in yellow vests kept watch, while a few dozen bystanders watched from across the street.
The police officer who prosecutors say fired a fatal shot at Nahel is in protective custody and is formally under investigation for voluntary manslaughter, equivalent to a charge under Anglo-Saxon jurisdictions.
His lawyer, Laurent-Franck Lienard, said his client had aimed at the driver’s leg but was bumped as the car took off, sending him shooting to his chest.
