Violence Erupts in Brest and Rennes After Death of Nahel: Public Buildings Set on Fire and Demonstrations Escalate

Incidents took place this Wednesday evening in Brest and to a lesser extent in Rennes, following the death of Nahel in Nanterre on Tuesday June 27. This 17-year-old young man was killed by a policeman during a traffic check.

Important incidents took place in Brest, in several places of the city, after the death of Nahel.

After a few first fires of garbage cans and three vehicles in different neighborhoods, the situation worsened from one o’clock in the morning, especially in the Pontanézen district.
About fifty young people violently opposed the intervention of the firefighters who intervened under police escort.

The demonstrators then tried to set fire to public buildings: the town hall annexed to the district and the administrative premises of Brest Métropole Habitat (BMH).

According to the prefecture of Finistère, “lhe report shows 14 charred vehicles, including 6 in the Fiat dealership, near the Biocoop store, very badly damaged by a facade fire which spread inside the building and could not be fully extinguished until this morning at 8 o’clock”.

An investigation is underway under the authority of the public prosecutor of Brest to establish the responsibilities of the perpetrators of the violence committed.

Philippe Mahé, prefect of Finistère “strongly condemns these inadmissible acts of destruction or attempted destruction of both public and private property“.

This morning, the mayor of Brest François Cuillandre went to Pontanézen to see the damage and meet the inhabitants.
In Rennes, a demonstration and some tensions at the end of the evening

In Ille-et-Vilaine, firefighters had to intervene 18 times in the evening.

In Rennes, around 350 people demonstrated early Wednesday evening in the streets of the city center.
Around 9 p.m., they headed for the Tour d’Auvergne police station, chanting anti-police slogans and sticking up posters on which was written “Blood on their hands, Justice for Nahel”.
There, a police force was waiting for them but did not intervene. The demonstrators continued to chant “Cops, rapists, murderers” for a few minutes before leaving. There is no incident to report.

The demonstrators then went to Place Sainte-Anne where a large trash fire was lit.

After a few tens of minutes, the CRS intervened to disperse the crowd, throwing sound and tear gas canisters.

Many mayors confide their “misunderstanding” after the scuffles.
Emmanuel Macron denounced Thursday “scenes of violence” against “Institutions and the Republic” which are “injustifiables”during a meeting of a crisis unit at the Ministry of the Interior.

2023-06-29 09:47:37
#Death #Nahel #Incidents #Brest #tensions #Rennes