France suffers fifth night of riots sparked by teen’s murder

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The French government said rioting and looting had calmed down as it continued a heavy security deployment to quell unrest in five days since the fatal police shooting of a teenager.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin wrote on Twitter on Sunday morning: “The night remained calm due to the resolute action of the police.”

According to the ministry, 719 arrests were made overnight compared to 1,311 on Friday night and incidents of arson also more than halved. About 50 of the 45,000 police officers deployed were injured, far fewer than on previous nights.

Reinforcements, including units specializing in urban violence with armored vehicles, were sent to Marseille and Lyon where looting in the city centers was particularly bad. Police also closed off the Champs Elysees in Paris to prevent vandalism of luxury shops there.

The unrest poses a new political challenge for President Emmanuel Macron, who this week canceled a state visit to Germany to focus on the government’s response. This is the third incident of violent protests he has faced since he was elected president in 2017 following a popular election Gillette’s Jones The agitation began in 2018 over a proposed fuel tax and protests over his unpopular pension reform earlier this year.

The killing on Tuesday of 17-year-old Nahel, whose last name has not been made public, sparked a wave of anger that began in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris where he lived, and spread to cities and towns across France.

The fatal shooting of a North African-origin teen after a traffic stop has raised tensions between police and young people in low-income areas that are home to minorities and immigrants who face racial profiling by police Is. Discrimination in housing and job opportunities, according to official studies.

Outrage grew quickly as a video of the incident was posted on social media shortly after, showing two officers trying to stop the teen’s car in no apparent immediate danger.

Preliminary charges of voluntary manslaughter have been filed against one of the officers involved and he is in pre-trial detention, a rare move in such cases.

Rioters have often targeted state symbols such as town halls and police stations. In a disturbing development, the home of the mayor of the Paris suburb of L’Haÿ-les-Roses was attacked on Saturday night by unidentified men who drove a burning car towards the residence. No one was hurt and police are investigating it as attempted murder.

Nahel’s family and friends buried him on Saturday in a private funeral at a mountain cemetery in Nanterre and a ceremony at a nearby mosque.

The situation in Nanterre, a demographically mixed area that includes the business district La Défense and large high-rise buildings of social housing, was calm as residents did their daily shopping and ate on sunny cafe terraces.

Yamid Bensousan, a waiter at a local restaurant, said, “I support Nahel’s family, but I am against violence and breaking things.” “Most people here feel the same way.”