30-6-2023 (PARIS) French President Emmanuel Macron is set to convene another crisis meeting of ministers as the French government grapples with a worsening wave of unrest that has spread from housing estates to major cities following the police shooting of a teenager earlier this week.
Authorities reported a total of 667 arrests across France during the early hours of Friday morning, as violence continued for a third consecutive night in response to the deadly police shooting of a 17-year-old of Algerian and Moroccan descent during a routine traffic stop.
The streets of towns and cities across the country witnessed the throwing of fireworks and projectiles at police, the setting ablaze of bins, and the torching of buses and bus depots. Public buildings were also targeted in some areas. Dijon and several towns in Burgundy experienced unrest, clashes erupted in the center of Marseille in the south and in and around Lille in the north. Other cities such as Rennes and Lyon also experienced disturbances. In Paris, protesters clashed with police, resulting in the burning of bins, while shops in the capital were looted for the first time.
When you let in the third world, you turn into the third world. #allculturesarenotthesame#Sendthemallback #Paris #FranceRiots #TakeBacktheWest pic.twitter.com/EANL151Phm
— Sir Chadius Maximus III (@SirChadiusMax) June 29, 2023
In the Nanterre suburb, specifically the Pablo Picasso housing estate where the 17-year-old, named Nahel, grew up, clashes with police persisted throughout the night.
In response to the escalating situation, at least three towns around Paris, including Clamart, Compiègne, and Neuilly-sur-Marne, implemented full or partial night-time curfews. A leaked police intelligence report predicted “widespread urban violence over the coming nights.”
The lawyer representing the officer accused of shooting Nahel in Nanterre, Laurent-Franck Lienard, stated that his client had offered an apology to the teenager’s family. Lienard explained that the officer had aimed towards the driver’s leg but was bumped, causing him to fire towards the chest. He emphasized that the officer did not intend to kill the driver and was devastated by the outcome.
La plus grande bibliothèque de #Marseille, l’Alcazar !???? #émeutes #Nahel #Nanterre pic.twitter.com/EXcCi5VTyf
— Kâplan (@KaplanBen_Fr) June 29, 2023
The officer, aged 38, has been formally placed under investigation for voluntary homicide, equivalent to being charged in Anglo-Saxon jurisdictions. According to Pascal Prache, the public prosecutor in Nanterre, Nahel died from a single shot through his left arm and chest while attempting to drive away after being stopped by police. The officer claimed to have opened fire out of fear for his and his colleague’s safety or the safety of others.
As of 3:30 am on Friday, local media reported 420 arrests, based on figures from the interior ministry. Approximately 40,000 police officers were deployed across the country, nearly quadruple the number mobilized on Wednesday.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin called for support for law enforcement personnel and firefighters who are bravely carrying out their duties. He was seen at police headquarters in Paris during the early hours of Friday.
In the aftermath of a peaceful vigil and march led by Nahel’s mother, violent clashes erupted in Nanterre, with protesters setting cars ablaze, erecting barricades, and hurling projectiles at the police. Buildings were defaced with the graffiti message “Vengeance for Nahel.” As night fell, a bank was set on fire, but firefighters managed to extinguish the flames. An armored police vehicle was deployed to the area.
As the night progressed, violent skirmishes between rioters and police occurred in Lille, Toulouse, Marseille, Lyon, Pau, and Montpellier. In central Paris, Nike and Zara stores were vandalized and looted, while shop windows along the renowned shopping street rue de Rivoli were smashed.
Videos circulating on social media showed numerous fires throughout the country, including a bus depot in a northern suburb of Paris and a tram targeted in Lyon. Lille city hall reported “widespread looting” of shops and supermarkets. In Montreuil, an eastern suburb of Paris, hundreds of youths attacked shops and set bins on fire near the town hall. Tear gas was deployed by police in response.
In Nantes, a car rammed through metal barriers at a Lidl store, which was subsequently looted. Similar incidents occurred in other regions, such as Vaulx-en-Velin near Lyon, where youths launched a constant barrage of fireworks at police, and Sevran, where a dozen cars were set on fire.
The unrest also extended beyond French borders, with at least 10 people arrested in two neighborhoods in Brussels following riots linked to the shooting.
President Macron held a crisis meeting on Thursday with senior ministers after the second night of widespread unrest and rioting. Macron condemned the scenes of violence targeting police stations, schools, and town halls, describing them as “wholly unjustifiable.”
In response to Nahel’s death, which he deemed “unexplainable and inexcusable,” Macron called for calm. His candid remarks were noteworthy in a country where senior politicians often hesitate to criticize the police due to voters’ concerns about security.
Rights groups have alleged systemic racism within law enforcement agencies, a claim Macron has previously denied. Dominique Sopo, the head of the campaign group SOS Racisme, stressed the need to move beyond mere calls for calm.
