On Friday, young protesters clashed with the police and
engaged in looting in France. This marked the fourth day of unrest sparked by
the fatal police shooting of a teenager. The situation has put more pressure on
President Emmanuel Macron, who had urged parents to keep their children off the
streets and blamed social media for fueling the unrest. Despite repeated
appeals for calm and increased police presence, violence continued to occur
throughout the day. Incidents included the looting of an Apple store in
Strasbourg, where tear gas was fired by the police, and the smashing of windows
at a fast-food outlet in a Paris-area shopping mall. In Marseille, which had
initially been spared from the violence, a second night of upheaval took place.
Before nightfall, young people were already engaging in acts of violence, such
as hurling projectiles, setting fires, and looting shops. The police made
nearly 90 arrests.
The violence escalated further as looters broke into a gun shop in Marseille and stole weapons. A man was later apprehended in possession of a hunting rifle. The previous night, two off-duty officers were seriously injured, one of whom was stabbed, when they were attacked by approximately 20 individuals. In Lyon, rioters continued to set fires and target the police 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 drew around 1,300 people.
The violence also spread to French territories overseas. In
French Guiana, a 54-year-old individual was killed by a stray bullet when
rioters fired at the police in the capital city, Cayenne. On the Indian Ocean
island of Reunion, protesters set garbage bins on fire, threw projectiles at
the police, and caused damage to cars and buildings. A total of 150 officers
were deployed to contain the situation.
Despite the ongoing crisis, President Macron refrained from
declaring a state of emergency, which had been used in similar circumstances in
2005. Instead, the government opted to intensify its law enforcement response.
An additional 5,000 officers were deployed for Friday night, bringing the total
number to 45,000. The Interior Minister also ordered a nighttime shutdown of
all public buses and trams nationwide, as these have been targeted by rioters.
The minister further issued a warning to social networks, calling on them to
prevent the use of their platforms for promoting violence. The authorities are
seeking cooperation from social networks in identifying individuals inciting
violence.
President Macron specifically called out Snapchat and
TikTok, stating that they were being exploited to organize riots and serve as
conduits for copycat violence. He expressed the expectation of responsibility
from technology companies and their cooperation in removing sensitive content.
Snapchat has already increased its moderation efforts to monitor and act upon
content related to the riots.
The violent unrest is occurring just over a year before
France is set to host the Summer Olympic Games, with Paris and other cities
being the main venues. The organizers of Paris 2024 are closely monitoring the
situation and ensuring that preparations for the Olympics continue.
The fatal shooting of the 17-year-old, identified only by
his first name Nahel, was captured on video and has deeply shocked France. It
has reignited long-standing tensions between the police and young people in
housing projects and disadvantaged neighborhoods. President Macron emphasized
that a significant portion of the individuals arrested on Thursday night were
young and highlighted the responsibility of parents in keeping their children
at home.
According to the Nanterre prosecutor, officers attempted to
stop Nahel because he appeared young and 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 got stuck in traffic. The police officer involved in the
shooting has been charged with voluntary homicide, as the initial investigation
concluded that the use of his weapon was not legally justified. However,
according to the prosecutor, the officer claimed that he feared being hit by
Nahel's car or that his colleague or someone else could be struck as Nahel
tried to escape.
Nahel's mother, referred to as Mounia M., expressed anger
towards the officer but not towards the police in general. She stated that the
officer targeted her son because he looked like a young Arab and called for a
firm pursuit of justice. The use of firearms by police in France is less common
than in the United States, although 13 individuals who did not comply with
traffic stops were fatally shot by French police last year. This year, three
more people, including Nahel, have died in similar circumstances. These deaths
have sparked demands for greater police accountability in France, particularly
in relation to racial profiling.
Nahel's burial is scheduled for Saturday, and the mayor of Nanterre stressed the need for changes in disadvantaged neighborhoods across France. The incident has once again brought the issue of race to the forefront in a country officially committed to a doctrine of colorblind universalism. Activists against racism have renewed their complaints about police behavior in light of Nahel's killing. The protests this week echo the three weeks of riots in 2005 that followed the deaths of Bouna Traoré, aged 15, and Zyed Benna, aged 17, who were electrocuted while hiding from the police in a power substation in Clichy-sous-Bois.
"With inputs from agencies"