What led to recent violent protests in France?

Many parts of France are witnessing clashes between police and protesters. According to the sheet The New York Timesthe demonstration lasted into the third night, many protesters burned cars, vandalized buildings, set off fireworks outside the police station.

What led to the protests?

On the morning of June 27, a police officer shot and killed 17-year-old Nael M while he was in his car in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris (France). The prosecutor in Nanterre said police stopped Nael because he looked too young and was driving a Mercedes with Polish number plates in the bus lane. When the police stopped Nael, he drove through a red light to run away.

Then, due to traffic jams, Nael’s car could no longer move and the police approached his car. Prosecutors said Nael died after a single bullet went through his left arm and chest.

Many people are angry with the police shooting. After news of the incident was announced, many people protested in the streets of Nanterre.

How did people react after the incident?

After Nael’s death, his mother posted a video on Instagram. In the video, she says: “I lost my 17-year-old son. They took my baby. He’s still a baby. He needs his mother. This morning, he even said: ‘Mom, I love you’. And I told him to be careful.”

French President Emmanuel Macron offered his condolences to the victim’s family. He called police behavior “unexplainable” and “indefensible”.

On Twitter, player Kylian Mbappe wrote: “I am sad for my France. This situation is unacceptable. My thoughts go out to Nael’s family and loved ones. This little angel passed away too soon.”

A protest in France on June 29. Photo: AP

How was the police officer who shot Nael to death?

On the evening of June 29, the Nanterre prosecutor’s office announced that the policeman who shot Nael had been formally investigated for attempted murder and was being held in custody. Earlier, prosecutor Pascal Prache at the Nanterre prosecutor’s office said the officer had not met the “legal conditions for the use of a weapon”.

Speaking on French TV channel BFM-TVthe officer’s lawyer said the officer was very sorry and “very distressed”.

How did the protests go?

In Nanterre, protesters set off fireworks and threw rocks at police. Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters. On the night of June 27, French officials said that 40 cars were burned by protesters and 24 policemen were injured in the clashes.

Elsewhere, the situation is very tense. According to a spokesman for the French national police, many schools, police stations, town halls and other public buildings in many parts of France have been attacked and burned by protesters. However, most of the damage was recorded in the suburbs of Paris.

The fire damaged the town hall in L’Ile-Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris, near the French national stadium. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 170 officers were injured but none of them were life-threatening.

Protesters confront police in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris (France) on June 29. Photo: AFP

How does the government react?

French President Emmanuel Macron held an emergency security meeting on June 29 to discuss the ongoing violence.

“These actions are completely absurd,” Macron said at the start of the meeting. He said the meeting was aimed at quelling flashpoints and planning for the coming days “so that full security can return”.

On June 29, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 40,000 police would be mobilized across the country to deal with the possibility of a widespread wave of protests. This number is more than four times the previous number of 9,000 police officers. In the Paris area alone, the number of police deployed has more than doubled, to 5,000.

Mr Darmanin said: ‘Those who cause disorder must go home. Although there is no need to declare a state of emergency. The government’s response will be extremely resolute.”

According to a spokesman for the French national police, about 100 arrests took place across the country on the evening of June 29.

According to the station CNN, ministers in the French government were asked to postpone non-emergency trips and stay in Paris to deal with the situation. Several regions on the outskirts of Paris have imposed a curfew. Public transport in some places also has limited operating hours.

Firefighters extinguish a fire at an office of Credit Mutuel bank, outside Paris (France) on June 29. Photo: AFP

Has there ever been a similar incident?

Theo The New York Times, the current situation reminds many of the protests in 2005. At that time, two teenagers were electrocuted to death while hiding in a substation in Clichy-sous-Bois, a suburb of Paris. police. Associated AP assessed that this demonstration spread faster than the 2005 protests.

France deploys 40,000 police to deal with protests

(PLO) – The French Interior Ministry deployed 40,000 more police nationwide to deal with riots caused by widespread protests.

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