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French authorities deployed reinforcements to restive cities and arrested hundreds by early Sunday, the fifth night of unrest sparked by the police shooting of a 17-year-old who had been buried the day before.
A total of 486 people were arrested across France as of 3:00 am (0100 GMT) on Sunday, the French Interior Ministry said, although the level of violence appeared to have decreased since riots first broke out over the youth’s killing. Nael M. in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday.
“It was a quieter night thanks to the determined action of the security forces,” Home Secretary Gerald said. Darmanin He tweeted early Sunday.
Darmanin had told reporters earlier that 45,000 security forces would be deployed overnight – the same number as the night before.
But additional troops and equipment were sent to Lyon, Grenoble and Marseille, which had previously experienced severe rioting.
In Paris and its vicinity, where there were about 7,000 officers on the force, 194 people had been arrested as of 3:00 a.m. on Sunday.
In Marseille, the police dispersed Saturday evening groups of young men on Canniberre, the main street that runs through the city centre, according to what AFP journalists reported.
By midnight, authorities in Lyon and Marseille reported fewer incidents than the night before, with 77 arrests as of about 1:30 a.m. in the two cities.
A number of towns imposed night curfews.
The protests over the death of Nael, who was of Algerian descent, have exposed intense racial tensions in modern France, increasing oversight of the police, which have long been accused of singling out minorities.
The crisis is a highly unwelcome development for the president Emmanuel Macronwho was looking forward to his second term after months of protests that erupted in January over raising the pension age.
In a sign of the seriousness of the crisis, he postponed a state visit to Germany that was scheduled to start on Sunday.
Nahel’s funeral service was held on Saturday in Nanterre, where he used to live, where hundreds gathered peacefully with his mother and grandmother.
Ceremonies were held in the early afternoon at the mosque in Nanterre, and he was buried in the Mont Valerin giant cemetery in the area.
An eyewitness confirmed to AFP that it ended at 1530 GMT and witnessed a “reversal and without incident”.
In an effort to curb the ongoing violence, buses and trams in France stopped running after 9:00 pm and the sale of large fireworks and flammable liquids was banned.
The port city of Marseille has seen violent clashes and looting, including in long-neglected low-income neighborhoods that Macron visited at the start of the week.
The authorities there went a step further by halting all urban transport from 6:00 pm, including the metro, and banning all protests until Sunday.
Police reinforcements were sent to the city, including armored vehicles and two helicopters.
Macron urged parents to take responsibility for underage troublemakers, a third of whom are “young or very young”.
Justice Minister Eric Dupond Moretti said Saturday that 30 percent of those arrested are minors, while Darmanin said the average age of those arrested is just 17.
The unrest has raised concerns abroad, with France hosting the Rugby World Cup in the fall and the Olympic Games in Paris in the summer of 2024.
Britain and other European countries have updated their travel advisories to warn tourists to stay away from areas affected by the riots.
Similarly, the Chinese consulate in Marseille warned its citizens to “exercise vigilance and caution” after state media reported that a bus carrying Chinese tourists in the southern city was bombed with stones on Thursday.
The unrest has had a major impact on cultural events in France, with singer Mylene Farmer having to cancel concerts at the stadium and French fashion house Celine canceling their menswear show in Paris scheduled for this weekend.
A 38-year-old policeman was charged with premeditated murder due to Nahil’s death and has been remanded in custody.
The United Nations human rights office said on Friday that the killing of the North African teenager was “a moment for the country to seriously address the deep issues of racism and racial discrimination in law enforcement”.
The French Foreign Ministry rejected the criticism, saying any suggestion of systemic discrimination in the police force was “absolutely unfounded”.
A total of 486 people were arrested across France as of 3:00 am (0100 GMT) on Sunday, the French Interior Ministry said, although the level of violence appeared to have decreased since riots first broke out over the youth’s killing. Nael M. in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday.
“It was a quieter night thanks to the determined action of the security forces,” Home Secretary Gerald said. Darmanin He tweeted early Sunday.
Darmanin had told reporters earlier that 45,000 security forces would be deployed overnight – the same number as the night before.
But additional troops and equipment were sent to Lyon, Grenoble and Marseille, which had previously experienced severe rioting.
In Paris and its vicinity, where there were about 7,000 officers on the force, 194 people had been arrested as of 3:00 a.m. on Sunday.
In Marseille, the police dispersed Saturday evening groups of young men on Canniberre, the main street that runs through the city centre, according to what AFP journalists reported.
By midnight, authorities in Lyon and Marseille reported fewer incidents than the night before, with 77 arrests as of about 1:30 a.m. in the two cities.
A number of towns imposed night curfews.
The protests over the death of Nael, who was of Algerian descent, have exposed intense racial tensions in modern France, increasing oversight of the police, which have long been accused of singling out minorities.
The crisis is a highly unwelcome development for the president Emmanuel Macronwho was looking forward to his second term after months of protests that erupted in January over raising the pension age.
In a sign of the seriousness of the crisis, he postponed a state visit to Germany that was scheduled to start on Sunday.
Nahel’s funeral service was held on Saturday in Nanterre, where he used to live, where hundreds gathered peacefully with his mother and grandmother.
Ceremonies were held in the early afternoon at the mosque in Nanterre, and he was buried in the Mont Valerin giant cemetery in the area.
An eyewitness confirmed to AFP that it ended at 1530 GMT and witnessed a “reversal and without incident”.
In an effort to curb the ongoing violence, buses and trams in France stopped running after 9:00 pm and the sale of large fireworks and flammable liquids was banned.
The port city of Marseille has seen violent clashes and looting, including in long-neglected low-income neighborhoods that Macron visited at the start of the week.
The authorities there went a step further by halting all urban transport from 6:00 pm, including the metro, and banning all protests until Sunday.
Police reinforcements were sent to the city, including armored vehicles and two helicopters.
Macron urged parents to take responsibility for underage troublemakers, a third of whom are “young or very young”.
Justice Minister Eric Dupond Moretti said Saturday that 30 percent of those arrested are minors, while Darmanin said the average age of those arrested is just 17.
The unrest has raised concerns abroad, with France hosting the Rugby World Cup in the fall and the Olympic Games in Paris in the summer of 2024.
Britain and other European countries have updated their travel advisories to warn tourists to stay away from areas affected by the riots.
Similarly, the Chinese consulate in Marseille warned its citizens to “exercise vigilance and caution” after state media reported that a bus carrying Chinese tourists in the southern city was bombed with stones on Thursday.
The unrest has had a major impact on cultural events in France, with singer Mylene Farmer having to cancel concerts at the stadium and French fashion house Celine canceling their menswear show in Paris scheduled for this weekend.
A 38-year-old policeman was charged with premeditated murder due to Nahil’s death and has been remanded in custody.
The United Nations human rights office said on Friday that the killing of the North African teenager was “a moment for the country to seriously address the deep issues of racism and racial discrimination in law enforcement”.
The French Foreign Ministry rejected the criticism, saying any suggestion of systemic discrimination in the police force was “absolutely unfounded”.
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