French authorities deployed reinforcements to flashpoint cities and continued to make hundreds of arrests, on the fifth night of unrest in France sparked by the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old- Nahel M. who was laid to rest.
His death, caught on video, has reignited longstanding complaints by poor and racially mixed urban communities of police violence and racism. Some 2,800 people have been arrested overall since the teen’s death on Tuesday.
The protests over the death of Nahel, who was of Algerian origin, have again exposed the severe racial tensions in modern France, increasing scrutiny on the police, who have long been accused of singling out minorities. Buildings and vehicles have been torched and stores looted, and the violence has plunged President Emmanuel Macron into the gravest crisis of his leadership since the Yellow Vest protests that started in 2018.
The subsequent rioting is the worst France has seen in years and puts new pressure on Mr. Macron, who appealed to parents to keep children off the streets and blamed social media for fueling violence. Mr. Macron denies there is systemic racism inside law enforcement agencies.
French riot police officers walk next to a vehicle upside down during the fifth day of protests in Paris, France, on July 2, 2023.
A vehicle is seen upside down during the fifth day of protests following the death of Nahel, a 17-year-old teenager killed by a French police officer in Nanterre during a traffic stop, in Paris, France, on July 2, 2023.
The mother of killed 17-year-old Nahel, at left on truck, gestures during a march for Nahel, on June 29, 2023 in Nanterre, outside Paris. The killing of Nahel during a traffic check Tuesday, captured on video, shocked the country and stirred up long-simmering tensions between young people and police in housing projects and other disadvantaged neighborhoods around France.
People demonstrate in Concorde on June 30, 2023 in Paris, France.
A person reacts while a police officer holds a baton during protests in Paris, France, on July 2, 2023.
Firefighters extinguish an overturned burning car after clashes erupted during a memorial march for French teenager Nahel, shot by police during a traffic control stop several days ago, on June 29, 2023 in Nanterre, France.
Police detain young people during the fifth night of protests in the Champs Elysees area, in Paris, France, on July 2, 2023.
Firefighters use a water hose on a burnt bus in Nanterre, outside Paris, France, on July 1, 2023. French President Emmanuel Macron urged parents Friday to keep teenagers at home and proposed restrictions on social media to quell rioting spreading across France over the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old driver.
A container burns as people protest following the death of Nahel, in Paris, France, on June 30, 2023
Protesters clash with police, following the death of Nahel in Nanterre, Paris suburb, France, on June 29, 2023.
PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 30: People demonstrate in Concorde on June 30, 2023 in Paris, France.
A group of police officers walk during a protest in Nanterre, outside Paris, France, on July 1, 2023.
Protesters hold a banner which reads "Rest in peace, Nahel" as they attend a march in tribute to Nahel, in Nanterre, Paris suburb, France, on June 29, 2023.
A firefighter extinguishes fire from a car, burnt during night clashes between protesters and police at the Alma district in Roubaix, northern France, on June 30, 2023.
People look at a building of the Tessi group, burnt during night clashes between protesters and police at the Alma district in Roubaix, northern France, on June 30, 2023.
Youth light flares on Concorde square during a protest in Paris, France, Friday, on June 30, 2023.