Global Courant
STORY: France was hit by riots and protests for the fifth night on Saturday, following the funeral of a teenager who was shot dead by an officer on Tuesday — though the scenes seemed less intense than the days before.
The biggest focal point was in Marseille, where police fired tear gas and engaged in street battles with youths around the city center late into the night.
It came as authorities sent some 45,000 police officers to guard the streets of France, with elite specialist units, armored vehicles and helicopters deployed to fortify the three largest cities – Paris, Lyon and Marseille.
In the early hours of Sunday, the situation was calmer than the previous four nights, but cars could still be seen overturned and on fire in Paris, with people seen trying to kick down boarded-up shop fronts.
Tuesday’s shooting of 17-year-old Nahel, who was of North African descent, was captured on video.
It sparked longstanding complaints of police brutality and racism among the country’s racially mixed and poor communities.
The nationwide unrest that followed forced President Emmanuel Macron to postpone a state visit to Germany.
It is the worst crisis for Macron’s leadership since so-called “Yellow Vest” protests paralyzed much of France in late 2018.
He also faced months of anger and sometimes violent protests across the country earlier this year after he passed a pension overhaul.
