France experienced a relatively calmer night of sporadic violence following the burial of a teenager of North African descent whose fatal shooting by the police triggered widespread unrest. To address the escalating crisis, President Emmanuel Macron postponed his state visit to Germany, which was scheduled to commence on Sunday. With tens of thousands of police deployed across the country, including elite units, armoured vehicles, and helicopters, there was a visible decrease in the intensity of rioting on Saturday night.
Although some tension persisted in central Paris and sporadic clashes occurred in Marseille, Nice, and Strasbourg, the situation was notably less volatile compared to the previous four nights. Marseille witnessed the most significant unrest, with police engaging in street battles and employing tear gas to subdue the youths. In response to a social media call for gathering at the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris, security forces heightened their presence, conducting spot checks and boarding up shop facades to deter potential damage and looting.
The Ministry of Interior reported 1,311 arrests on Friday night, a rise from the previous night’s 875, but described the violence as being of lower intensity. An additional 200 people were arrested nationwide on Saturday. Local authorities throughout the country imposed bans on demonstrations, halted evening public transportation services, and implemented overnight curfews.
This wave of unrest, tarnishing France’s international reputation merely a year before the Olympic Games, further exacerbates political pressure on President Macron. He had already faced months of public anger and occasionally violent protests following the implementation of a pension overhaul. This recent postponement of a state visit to Germany marks the second time this year that he has had to cancel a significant event due to domestic turmoil, following the cancellation of King Charles‘s planned state visit in March.
While the intensity of the riots appeared to have diminished on Saturday, France remains on edge, grappling with a complex situation that poses significant challenges to the government and places renewed scrutiny on Macron’s leadership.
Funeral Sparks Calls for Reform
The funeral of Nahel, a 17-year-old teenager of Algerian and Moroccan descent who was fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, drew hundreds of mourners. People lined up outside Nanterre’s grand mosque to pay their respects, with volunteers in yellow vests providing security while onlookers observed from across the street. During the funeral procession, some mourners recited “God is Greatest” in Arabic, expressing their grief and solidarity.
Among the attendees was Marie, a resident of Nanterre for five decades, who voiced her concern over the longstanding issues with the police in the area. She emphasized the urgent need for change and criticized the government for being disconnected from the realities faced by the community. The shooting, captured on video, has reignited deep-rooted grievances regarding police violence and racism in marginalized urban communities.
According to the Nanterre prosecutor, Nahel had prior encounters with the police for failing to comply with traffic stop orders and was driving a rental car illegally. President Macron, however, has refuted claims of systemic racism within French law enforcement agencies.
The incident has also highlighted broader discontent in the country’s most impoverished suburbs, characterized by inequality and high crime rates. For decades, French leaders have struggled to address what some politicians describe as a “geographical, social, and ethnic apartheid.”
As France mourns the loss of Nahel and confronts these deeply ingrained issues, calls for reform and equality resonate throughout the nation. The incident has prompted renewed debate on police conduct and the urgent need for comprehensive measures to address the underlying socio-economic challenges faced by marginalized communities.
France Faces Unrest, Restoration Challenges
The ongoing unrest in France has resulted in the torching of approximately 2,000 vehicles and left over 200 police officers injured, according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. The majority of those arrested have been found to have an average age of 17, with Justice Minister Eric Dupont-Moretti revealing that 30% of detainees are under 18.
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire reported that more than 700 shops, supermarkets, restaurants, and bank branches have been looted, ransacked, and even set ablaze since the start of the disturbances on Tuesday. The situation in Marseille remains tense, with 80 arrests made on Friday and 60 individuals detained by the police. Fearing the escalating violence, residents such as Tatiana, a 79-year-old pensioner in Marseille, expressed their concerns and reluctance to venture outdoors.
In Lyon, the third-largest city in France, law enforcement has deployed armoured personnel carriers and a helicopter to maintain order. The current unrest evokes memories of the nationwide riots in 2005 that lasted for three weeks and led then-President Jacques Chirac to declare a state of emergency, following the electrocution deaths of two young men who were hiding from the police in a power substation.
In an unusual move, players from the national soccer team, including star Kylian Mbappe, stated on Instagram calling for an end to violence and emphasizing the need for mourning, dialogue, and reconstruction. Influential fan group South Winners urged the youth of Marseille to act responsibly, cautioning that their actions tarnish the memory of Nahel and contribute to the division of the city.
As a result of the unrest, several events have been cancelled, including two concerts at the Stade de France and Celine’s 2024 menswear show. The government has urged social media companies to remove any inflammatory content, leading to a meeting between Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and officials from Meta, Twitter, Snapchat, and TikTok. Snapchat declared a zero-tolerance policy toward content promoting violence.
The police officer who fired the fatal shot at Nahel is currently in custody and under formal investigation for voluntary homicide. His lawyer, Laurent-Franck Lienard, claimed that the officer had aimed for the driver’s leg but was jostled when the car sped off, causing him to shoot at the driver’s chest unintentionally. The lawyer emphasized that the officer had not intended to kill the driver. As France grapples with the ongoing unrest, the government faces significant challenges in restoring order and addressing the underlying issues that have fueled the protests.
