Day 4 France Riots continue, with over 900 rioters arrested

France is witnessing widespread unrest as protests and riots intensify following the fatal shooting of a teenager. With nearly 900 arrests made across the country, Marseille and Lyon have become epicenters of violence, with looting, arson, and clashes with police. The situation remains tense despite the deployment of 45,000 law enforcement personnel.

France has been dealing with a rise of protests and riots for the fourth night in a row following the deadly police shooting of a teenager. More than 900 people have been detained during the fourth-day rallies, with reports indicating a much calmer scenario than the previous night. However, the cities of Marseille and Lyon have seen increased disorder, with the torching of buildings and vehicles, looting of businesses, and fights between protestors and police.

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On Friday afternoon, numerous malls in Paris and an Apple store in Strasbourg were plundered. While the capital was slightly quieter than previously, with a major deployment of law enforcement troops preventing confrontations, 120 arrests were made, and incidences of burning rubbish and violent scuffles were recorded in the Les Halles region.

Buildings that are burned and destroyed by rioters and collapse, in the streets are total chaos 🌪️#FranceRiots #RiotsFrance #FranceProtest pic.twitter.com/CWMw9N04Gx
— N3RO (@N3RONEWS) July 1, 2023

France’s Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, met with the police during the early hours of Saturday morning, expressing confidence that the republic would prevail over the rioters. He acknowledged 471 arrests nationwide, emphasizing a lower intensity compared to the previous days. Darmanin condemned the “unacceptable violence in Lyon and Marseille,” where public demonstrations were prohibited and public transport had been halted.

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Marseille experienced significant unrest, with more than 80 arrests and the mayor, Benoit Payan, calling for additional troops from the national government to contain the situation. The scenes of pillaging, violence, and clashes with the police were strongly denounced by Payan, who took to Twitter to express his concerns. Authorities are also investigating an apparent explosion in the city, though no casualties have been reported.

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In Lyon, rioters set cars ablaze and targeted the police with fireworks. To quell the unrest, law enforcement deployed armored personnel carriers and a helicopter in the country’s third-largest city. Additionally, a gun store was looted, resulting in the theft of several rifles, though no ammunition was taken. One person was apprehended with a rifle that likely originated from the store.

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The greedy politicians must stop appeasement politics now. #FranceRiots #franceViolence #FranceProtest #Francia… pic.twitter.com/3BzcwnL1gf
— 🅰🅼🅴🆁🅸🅲🅰 🆁🅴🅰🅻 (@AmericaReal3) July 1, 2023

The protests were triggered by the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old teenager of Algerian and Moroccan descent named Nahel M. The incident, captured on video, has reignited long-standing complaints of police violence and racism in France. The 38-year-old officer involved in the shooting has been charged with voluntary homicide and placed in provisional detention.

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Nahel’s burial is scheduled for Saturday, and the family has requested privacy, considering it a day of reflection. The mayor of Nanterre, where Nahel lived and was killed, expressed a sense of injustice among the residents, emphasizing the urgent need to address various issues such as education, employment, and housing in marginalized communities.

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In reaction to the rising disturbance, French President Emmanuel Macron canceled his participation in a European Union conference in Brussels to attend a crisis meeting. He encouraged parents to keep their children at home and chastised social media sites for promoting violent organizing online. Macron has asked Snapchat, TikTok, and other platforms to delete sensitive information connected to the protests.

#FranceRiots #FranceProtest #Paris
🇫🇷🔴Dozens of shops vandalized by young people. Rifles would have been stolen from an armory. In #Marseille , the police are forced to retreat already. All of #France is on fire. #Emeute #Emeutes #Nahel #JusticePourNael #Lille #Macron #Riots pic.twitter.com/GWSt8Pe11Z
— 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐊𝐎𝐌𝐒𝐀 | 🇪🇺🇫🇷🇵🇱🇺🇦 (@tweetforAnna) June 30, 2023

Amid the unrest, British travelers have been warned to stay aware of the situation in France. The Foreign Office updated its travel advice, cautioning against potential disruptions, reduced local transport, and the imposition of curfews in affected areas. The French tourism industry is also concerned about the impact on hotels and restaurants, with cancellations already being reported.

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As the protests continue and tensions rise, Macron faces mounting pressure from right-wing parties to declare a state of emergency, granting authorities additional powers to ban demonstrations and restrict freedom of movement. However, the government is cautious about resorting to such measures, aiming to avoid a repeat of the 2005 riots that followed the deaths of two African boys.