PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the mobilization of additional police forces to contain the riots that have erupted following the fatal shooting of a teenager by a police officer during a traffic stop.
As authorities brace for a fourth consecutive night of protests, Macron condemned the “unacceptable exploitation of the death of an adolescent” and chaired a second crisis meeting in two days after returning from an EU summit.
The unrest was triggered by the killing of 17-year-old Nahel, reigniting longstanding grievances related to policing and racial profiling in France’s low-income and multi-ethnic suburbs. Despite Macron facing intense scrutiny both domestically and internationally, he seeks to strike a delicate balance between responding firmly to the situation and avoiding a stronger backlash.
Macron announced the mobilization of “additional means” beyond the 40,000 officers already deployed nationwide on Thursday. However, these efforts fell short as 492 structures were damaged, 2,000 vehicles were burned, and 3,880 fires were ignited across the country, according to government figures. Overnight arrests reached 875, while 249 police officers sustained injuries, although none were reported as serious.
In response to the ongoing protests, the interior ministry announced the extension of a 9:00 pm halt to bus and tram services in Paris nationwide until further notice. Additionally, the sale of large fireworks and inflammable liquids will be banned. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne stated that armored vehicles from the French gendarmerie would be deployed against the rioters. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin emphasized the significance of the coming hours in a letter to police officers, assuring them that the reinforcements being sent would provide the means to defend the Republic and its values.
France: Macron Asks Parents to Take Responsibility for Teenage Rioters
Macron called on parents to take responsibility for underage rioters, a third of whom were categorized as “young or very young.” He also pledged to collaborate with social networks to curb the spread of “copycat violence” facilitated through platforms like TikTok and Snapchat, while expressing concern that some participants were “experiencing on the street the video games that have intoxicated them.”
France has witnessed successive nights of protests since Nahel’s shooting, captured on video during a traffic stop. In her first media interview since the incident, Nahel’s mother, Mounia, stated that she does not blame the police in general but holds the specific officer accountable, alleging that he “saw an Arab face, a little kid, and wanted to take his life.” The officer, aged 38, has been detained and charged with voluntary manslaughter.
With the government determined to prevent a repeat of the weeks-long urban riots in 2005, triggered by the deaths of two boys of African origin in a police chase and resulting in 6,000 arrests, the UN rights office has called for France to address deeply rooted issues of racism and racial discrimination in law enforcement. However, France rejected the accusation as “totally unfounded.”
Amidst the unrest, prosecutors in Marseille have opened an investigation into attempted murder after two police officers in civilian clothes were attacked by a gang of 20 people in the southern city overnight. As the protests persist, there are increasing demands from conservative and far-right opposition parties to grant authorities enhanced powers.
