PARIS: More than 400 people were arrested in France on Thursday after protests swept across the country for a third night over the death of 17-year-old Nahel M, who was shot dead by an officer in Nanterre, about 11 km northwest of Paris city centre, CNN reported.
France’s elite police, the RAID, was posted in Bordeaux, Lyon, Roubaix, Marseille and Lille to help control the protests. Confrontations erupted between protesters and police in Nanterre, where the 17-year-old named Nahel was killed days before in Marseille.
Amid burning debris, “vengeance pour Nael”, which translates to “revenge for Nael”, appeared to be spray-painted on a wall in Nanterre with regards to the slain teenager and using an alternative spelling of his name, the report said.
A bank was set on fire in Nanterre and 15 people were taken in by police for questioning after a march was carried out in memory of the teenager became violent. Protesters threw fireworks at police officers in Marseille, CNN reported, citing BFMTV. Six people were taken by police for questioning after they took part in a protest barred by authorities in Lille, the regional authority in a Facebook post, CNN reported.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told BFMTV that at least 421 people were arrested in the protests across the country from Thursday night into Friday morning, CNN reported. More than half of those arrests took place in Paris, in the departments of Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne, according to Paris police, CNN cited BFMTV report.
French President Emmanuel Macron will convene a crisis meeting on Friday for the second day in a row after Thursday night’s violence, CNN reported citing BFMTV. Earlier, Gerald Darmanin said police were directed to “intervene systematically” and offered support for the police officers and firefighters who, he said, “are doing a courageous job”.
The unrest erupted in France on Tuesday, hours after a police traffic stop in Nanterre which resulted in the killing of Nahel. During the night, 40 cars were burnt and 24 police officers were injured, according to French authorities. The police officer has been placed under formal investigation for voluntary homicide and has been kept in preliminary detention, the report said.
Earlier on Thursday, Macron urged calm and called the violence “unjustifiable”. Taking to Twitter, Macron said, “Violence against police stations, schools, town halls, against the Republic, is unjustifiable. Thank you to the police, gendarmes, firefighters and elected officials mobilized. Meditation, Justice and calm must guide the next few hours.”
He also convened a crisis meeting with senior ministers on Thursday in the wake of the situation, CNN reported. Speaking at the meeting, Macron said, “Clearly the emotion that comes with the death of a young man calls for contemplation and calm, and it’s what the government has constantly called for. I think this is what should continue to guide the next hours and the tributes”.
Macron said, “The last hours have been marked by violent scenes against police stations but also schools and town halls, and basically against institutions and the Republic. It’s absolutely unjustifiable,” according to CNN. He added, “I would like to thank those who are out during the night, like yesterday, to protect these institutions and bring back calm”. (ANI)