NANTERRE, France. Violent clashes and widespread looting continued for a fourth consecutive day in France as young rioters expressed their anger over the fatal police shooting of a teenager. President Emmanuel Macron, facing mounting pressure, appealed to parents to keep their children off the streets and blamed social media for exacerbating the unrest.
Despite government calls for calm and increased police presence, Friday witnessed bold acts of violence during daylight hours. An Apple store was looted in the city of Strasbourg in eastern France, prompting police to deploy tear gas. In a Paris-area shopping mall, the windows of a fast-food outlet were smashed as officers repelled individuals attempting to break into a closed store, according to authorities.
The southern port city of Marseille, which had initially been spared from the violence that erupted in the Paris region, experienced a second night of upheaval. Even before nightfall, young people were throwing projectiles, setting fires, and looting shops, resulting in nearly 90 arrests. On Friday evening, looters targeted a gun shop in Marseille, stealing weapons. Subsequently, a man was apprehended with a hunting rifle. The previous night, two off-duty officers were seriously injured, including one who was stabbed, when they were attacked by around 20 individuals.
Rioters in Lyon, another major city in France, continued to set fires and pelt police with projectiles in the suburbs. In the city center, 31 arrests were made to prevent the looting of shops after an unauthorized protest against police violence, which attracted around 1,300 people on Friday evening.
The violence also spread to some of France’s overseas territories. In French Guiana, a 54-year-old individual was killed by a stray bullet on Thursday night when rioters opened fire on police in the capital city of Cayenne. On the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, protesters set fire to garbage bins, threw projectiles at police, and damaged cars and buildings. Approximately 150 officers were deployed there on Friday night.
In the face of the escalating crisis, which has seen hundreds of arrests and massive police deployments, Macron has refrained from declaring a state of emergency, an option that was used in similar circumstances in 2005. Instead, the government has intensified its law enforcement response. The already bolstered police forces have been further augmented by an additional 5,000 officers for Friday night, bringing the total number to 45,000, as announced by Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. Some officers were called back from their vacations. Darmanin stated that 917 arrests were made on Thursday alone and highlighted the young age of the detainees, with an average age of 17. He also noted that more than 300 police officers and firefighters have been injured.
Darmanin ordered a nationwide nighttime shutdown of all public buses and trams, which have been targeted by the rioters. He also issued a warning to social media platforms, stating that they cannot allow themselves to be used as channels for inciting violence. While the platforms initially cooperated, the minister emphasized that their true cooperation would be tested that night. He further stated that the French authorities would provide the platforms with as much information as possible to identify those inciting violence, and those who use social media for violent acts would be pursued and face necessary consequences if the platforms fail to comply with the law.
Macron also focused on social media platforms that have been disseminating dramatic images of vandalism, arson, and violence, stating that they play a significant role in fueling the unrest. He specifically mentioned Snapchat and TikTok, highlighting their use in organizing and promoting copycat violence. Macron announced that the government would collaborate with technology companies to establish procedures for removing sensitive content and expressed his expectation of a responsible attitude from the platforms.
Snapchat spokesperson Rachel Racusen confirmed that the company has increased moderation efforts since Tuesday to detect and take action against content related to the riots.
The ongoing violence comes just over a year before Paris and other French cities are set to host the Summer Olympic Games, with thousands of athletes and millions of visitors expected. Organizers of Paris 2024 stated that they are closely monitoring the situation, and preparations for the Olympics are continuing.
The fatal shooting of the 17-year-old, identified only by his first name Nahel, was captured on video, shocking France and intensifying long-standing tensions between police and young people in underprivileged neighborhoods. Macron revealed that one-third of the individuals arrested on Thursday night were young people, emphasizing that parents bear the responsibility of keeping their children at home.
According to Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache, officers attempted to pull Nahel over due to his young appearance and the fact that he was driving a Mercedes with Polish license plates in a bus lane. Nahel allegedly ran a red light in an attempt to evade the police but became stuck in traffic.
The police officer responsible for the shooting has been preliminarily charged with voluntary homicide after the prosecutor’s initial investigation led to the conclusion that the officer’s use of his weapon was not legally justified. Preliminary charges indicate that investigating magistrates strongly suspect wrongdoing but require further investigation before sending the case to trial.
The officer claimed that he feared he, his colleague, or others could be hit by the car as Nahel attempted to flee, according to the prosecutor.
Nahel’s mother, identified as Mounia M., expressed anger towards the officer but not towards the police in general. She stated in an interview with France 5 television that the officer “saw a little Arab-looking kid, he wanted to take his life.” She called for firm justice and emphasized that a police officer should not use a gun to take the lives of children.
Although deadly use of firearms is less common in France compared to the United States, 13 people who did not comply with traffic stops were fatally shot by French police last year. This year, three more individuals, including Nahel, have died under similar circumstances. These incidents have sparked demands for greater accountability in France, with racial justice protests occurring following the killing of George Floyd by police in Minnesota.
Nahel’s burial is scheduled for Saturday, according to Nanterre Mayor Patrick Jarry, who stated that France must push for changes in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Race has been a taboo topic in France for decades, as the country officially adheres to a doctrine of colorblind universalism. However, following Nahel’s killing, anti-racism activists in France have renewed their complaints about police behavior in general.
This week’s protests bear resemblance to the three weeks of riots in 2005 that followed the deaths of 15-year-old Bouna Traoré and 17-year-old Zyed Benna, who were electrocuted while hiding from the police in a power substation in Clichy-sous-Bois.
AP contributed to this report.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
