Why is France still burning?

Young rioters clashed with police until early Sunday and targeted the mayor’s house with a burning car as France experienced a fifth night of unrest after the killing of a young man by police. But the general violence seems to have decreased from the previous nights.

700 arrests

Police arrested 719 people across the country early Sunday after a massive security deployment aimed at quelling France’s worst social unrest in years. More than 3,000 people have been arrested overall since the death of the 17-year-old.

the victim

teenager, NaelHe was buried to rest on Saturday in an Islamic ceremony Nanterrea suburb of Paris where feelings over his loss remain raw.

The mayor faces the wrath of the mob

A burning car crashes into the home of the mayor of a Paris suburb l’Hay-les-Roses. Many schools, police stations, municipalities and shops have been targeted by arson or vandalism in recent days, but such a personal attack on a mayor’s home is unusual.
Mayor Vincent Janbron said his wife and one of his children were injured in the attack, which took place at 1.30am while they were asleep and he was in the town hall watching the violence.

Macron’s big test

The crisis has posed a new challenge to President Emmanuel Macron’s leadership and exposed deep-rooted resentment in low-income neighborhoods over discrimination and a lack of opportunity.
The unrest prompted Macron to postpone what would have been the first state visit of a French president to Germany in 23 years, starting Sunday evening.

Police violence

Thirteen people who failed to comply with traffic stops were killed by French police last year, and three this year, prompting calls for more accountability. France also witnessed protests against police violence and racial injustice after the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minnesota.