France's Fifth Night of Violence as Teen Shot by Police Buried
08:54 02.07.2023 (Updated: 10:50 03.08.2023)
© AFP 2023 CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU
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France witnessed several consecutive nights of violent protests triggered by the police shooting of a 17-year-old in Nanterre, a suburb west of Paris, on June 27. Nahel Merzouk was laid to rest on Saturday, while the authorities braced for another night of violence.
Around 45,000 police had been deployed across France on Saturday in anticipation of a fifth night of violence in the wake of a police shooting of a teen. In an effort to quell the rioting that has swept across the country, authorities in the capital, and large cities like Marseille, Strasbourg, and Lyon, all tightened security measures.
France's Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted at night that the situation had been calmer than previous ones, thanks to "resolute action of security forces." Around 427 people had been arrested overnight, according to Darmanin.
Screengrab of Twitter post by Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior of France.
© Photo Twitter
Darmanin had announced earlier in the day that reinforcements of riot police were being deployed in Marseille, Lyon and Grenoble. A curfew was also set in place in the city of Colombes, near Paris. Police officers in the capital itself patrolled around the Champs-Elysees, seizing suspicious objects, and 37 people were arrested for possession of weapons, according to the Prefecture de Police on Twitter.
Screengrab of Twitter post by Prefecture de Police in Paris.
© Photo Twitter
Meanwhile, France's Interior Minister had also issued a warning to parents on Saturday, vowing that law enforcement and the prosecutor’s office would hold them responsible for any damages caused by their children.
"We have arrested arsonists 12, 13 years old. When you are 12 or 13 years old, there is an indisputable responsibility of the parents," he had stressed.
French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti said that French prosecutors should ask internet operators for the IP addresses of young people calling for riots on the Snapchat app.
Elisabeth Borne, the country's Prime Minister, also went on Twitter to praise the "exemplary courage" of the police "in the face of violence."
Screenshot of Twitter post by Élisabeth Borne, Prime Minister of France.
© Photo Twitter
Earlier in the day, Nahel Merzouk, the teenager of Algerian descent who was shot and killed by a police officer during a traffic stop, was buried at a cemetery in Nanterre. Hundreds had showed up at the suburb west of Paris to pay tribute.
A group of police officers walk during a protest in Nanterre, outside Paris, France, Saturday, July 1, 2023.
© AP Photo / Lewis Joly
Fifth Night of Riots in France
Arrests made in several French cities on Saturday night are said to have totalled 1,311, according to various reports. According to the French Ministry of the Interior, 80 arrests were confirmed in Paris. Police in the capital had pushed away people gathered at Arc de Triomphe in order to prevent the holding of a rally there, a Sputnik correspondent reported. About 3,000 people had gathered there late on Saturday night, after calls on social media to hold a protest there.
Around 55 arrests are reported in the southern city of Marseille, which witnessed heavy clashes between police and rioters throughout Saturday evening. In the city's Bouches-du-Rhone prefecture, 29 arrests were reported. The city's public library was set ablaze.
"All potentially violent groups in the city centre of Marseille have been systematically dispersed by the police and gendarmes, and if necessary, with the use of tear gas," it was stated by the authorities.
In Lyon, at least 21 people had been arrested after being caught in possession of mortars. Others were apprehended for "carrying prohibited weapons, and violence against a person holding authority and theft", according to reports.
Lille witnessed a heavy presence of police special forces – Recherche, Assistance, Intervention, Dissuasion (RAID) – out in the streets.
In Grigny, a building was set ablaze.
The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, said the city centre was looted by a "gang of young people", who were "quickly arrested".
Vincent Jeanbrun, Mayor of L'Hay-les-Roses, a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, went on Twitter to reveal that his home had been attacked, and his family was the victim of "an assassination attempt." Jeanbrun said that his wife and one of his children were injured while fleeing from the unknown assailants, who rammed his house with a car and then torched the vehicle.
Screenshot of Twitter post by Vincent Jeanbrun, Mayor of L'Haÿ-les-Roses.
© Photo Twitter
Amid the violence, French President Emmanuel Macron informed German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier that he would not be able to visit Berlin as scheduled next week due to unrest continuing in France, the German Presidency said on Saturday. Macron's visit was scheduled to take place from July 2-4. Previously, Macron came under harsh criticism for leaving France amid protests on Wednesday to attend the concert of British singer Elton John in neighboring Belgium.
