The grandmother of a French teenager whose fatal police shooting sparked several nights of rioting has launched an appeal for calm as the mayor’s home in a Paris suburb was attacked with a burning car in a fresh outbreak of violence, reports RTE.
President Emmanuel Macron’s government has battled five nights of violent protests since 17-year-old Nahel M was shot dead by an officer during a roadside check in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday.
Algerian-born Nahel M’s killing has revived long-standing allegations of institutionalized racism among French police, which human rights groups say single out minorities during checks.
To quell what has become one of Macron’s biggest challenges since taking office in 2017, the interior ministry has deployed 45,000 police and gendarmes across the country over the past two nights, as well as helicopters and armored vehicles.
The interior ministry said 719 people had been arrested overnight, about half the previous night’s figure, but there were still reports of intense clashes in several places, including southern Marseille, but elsewhere it was calm, reports RTE.
“Stop and do not riot. I tell the people who are rioting this: Do not smash windows, attack schools or buses. Stop! It’s the mums who are taking the bus, it’s the mums who walk outside,” Nahel’s grandmother, Nadia, told BFM television in a telephone interview, reports RTE.
According to Élysée, Macron will later hold a crisis meeting with members of his government.
To prevent violence, buses and trams in France stop running after 9pm and the sale of large fireworks and flammable liquids is banned. Marseille has stopped all urban transport from 18:00.
Justice Minister Eric DuPont-Moretti said yesterday that 30% of those arrested were minors, while Darmanin said the average age of those arrested was just 17.
The riots have raised concerns abroad as France hosts the Rugby World Cup in the autumn and the Olympic Games in Paris in the summer of 2024.
Culture and entertainment were disrupted with singer Myleene Farmer canceling a stadium concert and French fashion house Celine Paris canceling its menswear show, reports RTE.
A 38-year-old police officer has been charged with voluntary manslaughter in connection with Nahel’s death and is in custody.
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