PARIS, France (AFP) – Fierce clashes between a young mob and police continued late Saturday into early Sunday as the mayor’s home was hit by a burning car. France is in its fifth night of riots sparked by the police killing of a teenager, but overall violence appears to have subsided compared to the night before, despite continued unrest.
A total of 719 people were arrested across the country as of early Sunday morning following the massive deployment of security forces to quell the worst civil unrest in years.
The burgeoning crisis poses new challenges for President Emmanuel Macron’s leadership and reveals deep-rooted grievances in low-income communities marred by discrimination and lack of opportunity.
The 17-year-old, identified only by his first name Neher, was buried in a Muslim ceremony on Saturday in his hometown of Nanterre, a Paris suburb. Nanterre still suffers from the psychological aftermath of his loss. As night fell on the French capital, a small group gathered on the Champs-Élysées to protest Neel’s death and police brutality.
However, they encountered a powerful presence with hundreds of policemen armed with batons and shields guarding the famous boulevards and luxury boutiques such as Cartier and Dior. In less wealthy areas north of Paris, protesters set up barricades and set off firecrackers, while police responded with tear gas and stun grenades.
In an unprecedented act, a burning car crashed into the mayor’s house in the Parisian suburb of Les Les Roses overnight. Several schools, police stations, city halls and businesses have been hit by fires and vandalism in recent days, but the attack on the mayor’s residence adds a personal dimension to the unrest. There were also skirmishes in the Mediterranean city of Marseille, although less violent than the night before, according to the interior ministry. A reinforced police force managed to arrest 55 people there.
The number of arrests across the country was down slightly from the previous night, but Interior Minister Gerard Dalmanin said it was due to decisive action by security forces.
A total of 2,800 people have been arrested since Neher’s death on Tuesday. While the massive deployment of police has provided reassurance to terrified residents in targeted areas and shop owners whose stores have been looted, those who see police action as a root cause of the current crisis in France. This further fueled his frustration.
The ongoing violence has also taken a toll on President Macron’s diplomatic standing. The office of the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, announced that President Emmanuel Macron has requested the postponement of his state visit to Germany, the first French president to do so in 23 years. Mr Macron was originally scheduled to visit Germany on Sunday.
Hundreds of French police and firefighters were injured in the riots, but authorities have not released information about injuries to demonstrators. A 54-year-old man was killed by a stray bullet in French Guiana, an overseas territory. French Justice Minister Dupont Moretti warned on Saturday that young people who instigate violence through platforms like Snapchat could be prosecuted. President Macron accused social media of inciting violence.
The riots, which come just a year before the Summer Olympics are due to be held in Paris and other French cities, add to the concern for organizers who are closely monitoring the situation.
At the Nanterre cemetery, mourners paid their respects to Neher as his white coffin was carried from the mosque to the burial site. Her mother dressed in white and went to her grave to applaud. Many of the mourners, mostly young Arabs and blacks, saw Neher’s tragic death as a reflection of their lives and the challenges they faced.
In an interview with France 5 TV, Nehel’s mother expressed her anger at the police officer who shot her son, but not the police in general. She explained: “He saw a little Arab-looking child. He tried to kill himself. ” Neher’s family has roots in Algeria.
Video footage of the incident shows two police officers in the car window, one pointing a gun at the driver. As the boy drove forward, the officer fired a shot through the windshield. The police officer involved was charged with first-degree murder.
Last year, 13 people were shot dead by French police for violating the moratorium, and three such incidents have occurred this year. In the wake of these incidents, there are growing calls for police to be held accountable. The killing of George Floyd by police in Minnesota has sparked protests against police brutality and racial injustice in France.
The reaction to Neher’s assassination, like Neher’s upbringing, highlights the potential for ongoing poverty, discrimination and limited employment in neighborhoods across France where many residents have roots in the former French colonies. It reminds me.
“The story of Nahel is the spark that ignites the gas. Desperate young people have been waiting for it.” “We have no housing, no jobs, and even if we do have jobs, the wages are too low,” said Samba Sek, 39, a transport worker from Clichy-sous-Bois, a suburb of Paris.
Clichy-sous-Bois became the epicenter of weeks of unrest in 2005 after two of her teens were electrocuted while fleeing police at a substation. Sek said one of the boys lived in the same housing project as him.
