This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/29/france-police-shooting-second-night-of-unrest-as-protests-over-teenagers-death-spread

The article has changed 21 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 7 Version 8
France police shooting: Macron holds crisis meeting as officer investigated France police shooting: Macron holds crisis meeting as officer investigated
(about 2 hours later)
More than 150 arrested overnight amid growing anger at shooting of 17-year-old during traffic stopMore than 150 arrested overnight amid growing anger at shooting of 17-year-old during traffic stop
Emmanuel Macron has held a government crisis meeting after a second night of violent protests across France over the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old boy at a traffic stop. A police officer involved in the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old boy has been placed under formal investigation – akin to being charged – for voluntary homicide, as Emmanuel Macron struggles to contain mounting public anger over the killing.
“These acts are totally unjustifiable,” the French president said at the beginning of the meeting, which aimed at securing hot spots and planning for the coming days “so full peace can return”. The French president held a crisis cabinet meeting on Thursday after a second night of unrest and rioting across France in which public buildings were set ablaze and cars torched in cities including Lille, Dijon, Lyon and Toulouse as well as the Paris suburbs.
At least 150 people were arrested in what the interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, called “a night of unbearable violence against the symbols of the republic: town halls, schools, police stations burned or attacked”. “The last few hours have been marked by scenes of violence against police stations but also schools and town halls, and thus institutions of the republic – and these scenes are wholly unjustifiable,” Macron said as he opened the emergency meeting.
Prosecutors said magistrates will investigate the police officer who shot the boy for “voluntary homicide” and the human rights ombudsman has opened an inquiry. At least 150 people were arrested on Wednesday night in what the interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, called “a night of unbearable violence” over the shooting, which has fuelled longstanding complaints of police violence and systemic racism.
Protesters launched fireworks at police, set cars ablaze and torched public buildings in towns in the suburbs around Paris, but also in the city of Toulouse in the south-west and towns across the north. There were also disturbances in Amiens, Dijon and St-Etienne, and outside Lyon. Pascal Prache, the local prosecutor, told a news conference that investigating magistrates had placed the officer concerned under formal investigation for voluntary homicide, the equivalent in Anglo-Saxon jurisdictions of being charged.
Around Lyon, in Villeurbanne, Vénissieux and Bron, local media reported burning barricades made of blazing bins and rental scooters. The town hall in Garges-lés-Gonesse outside Paris was set alight in an arson attack and in Mons-en-Barœul in northern France, the town hall was torched and the mayor said several services had been “totally destroyed”. In Clamart, outside Paris, a tram was burned. Several police stations were attacked in towns around Paris, including in Trappes, Gennevilliers and Meudon. “On the basis of the evidence gathered, the public prosecutor considers that the legal conditions for using the weapon have not been met,” Prache said. France’s human rights ombudsman has also opened an inquiry.
About 2,000 riot police were deployed in and around Paris on Wednesday night as protesters launched fireworks at police and set fire to cars in the town of Nanterre, outside the capital, where the 17-year-old boy, Nahel, was shot dead at close range during a traffic stop on Tuesday. Police appeared at first to have lied about the circumstances of the killing. The Tuesday morning shooting of the 17-year-old, identified as Nahel M, happened in Nanterre, on the western outskirts of Paris. The teenager was shot in the chest as he pulled away from police who tried to stop him for traffic infractions.
French media reported incidents in numerous locations across the greater Paris region. Videos on social media showed dozens of fireworks being directed at the Montreuil town hall, on the eastern edge of Paris. Police initially said one officer had shot at the teenager, who was not old enough to drive unaccompanied in France, because he was driving his car at him. That version was quickly contradicted by a video circulating on social media.
Politicians were concerned that sustained rioting and unrest across France could be hard to contain. In 2005 the death of two young boys hiding from police in an electricity substation in Clichy-sous-Bois outside Paris triggered weeks of unrest, with France declaring a state of national emergency as more than 9,000 vehicles and dozens of public buildings and businesses were set on fire. The video, verified by French news agencies, shows two police officers beside a Mercedes AMG car, with one shooting at the driver at close range as he pulled away. The boy died shortly afterwards from his wounds, prosecutors said.
Overnight on Wednesday protesters launched fireworks at police, set cars on fire and torched public buildings in towns in the suburbs around Paris, but also in the city of Toulouse in the south-west and towns across the north. There were also disturbances in Amiens, Dijon, St-Etienne, and outside Lyon.
French media reported incidents in numerous places across the greater Paris region. Videos on social media showed dozens of fireworks being directed at the Montreuil town hall, on the eastern edge of Paris.
Politicians were concerned that sustained rioting and unrest across France could be hard to contain. In 2005, the death of two young boys hiding from police in an electricity substation in Clichy-sous-Bois outside Paris triggered weeks of unrest, with France declaring a state of national emergency as more than 9,000 vehicles and dozens of public buildings and businesses were set on fire.
The use of lethal force by officers against Nahel, who was of north African origin, has fed into a deep-rooted perception of police brutality in the ethnically diverse areas of France’s biggest cities.The use of lethal force by officers against Nahel, who was of north African origin, has fed into a deep-rooted perception of police brutality in the ethnically diverse areas of France’s biggest cities.
“We are sick of being treated like this. This is for Nahel, we are Nahel,” said two young men calling themselves “avengers” as they wheeled rubbish bins from a nearby estate to add to a burning barricade. One said his family had lived in France for three generations but “they are never going to accept us”.“We are sick of being treated like this. This is for Nahel, we are Nahel,” said two young men calling themselves “avengers” as they wheeled rubbish bins from a nearby estate to add to a burning barricade. One said his family had lived in France for three generations but “they are never going to accept us”.
In the 18th and 19th districts of north-eastern Paris, police fired flash-balls to disperse protesters who were burning rubbish. The crowd responded by throwing bottles. Macron had called for calm on Wednesday, telling reporters: “We have an adolescent that was killed. It is unexplainable and inexcusable. Nothing justifies the death of a young man.” His remarks were unusually frank in a country where senior politicians are often reluctant to criticise police, given voters’ security concerns.
In the Essonne region, south of the capital, a bus was set on fire after all the passengers were forced off, police said. Rights groups allege there is systemic racism within French law enforcement agencies, a charge Macron has previously denied.
In Toulouse, several cars were torched and responding police and firefighters pelted with projectiles. Yassine Bouzrou, a lawyer for the boy’s family, said: “You have a video that is very clear: a police officer killed a young man of 17 years. You can see that the shooting is not within the rules.”
On Wednesday Macron called for calm, telling reporters: “We have an adolescent that was killed. It is unexplainable and inexcusable. Nothing justifies the death of a young man.” His remarks were unusually frank in a country where senior politicians are often reluctant to criticise police, given voters’ security concerns. In a video shared on TikTok, a woman identified as the victim’s mother called for a memorial march in Nanterre on Thursday. “Everyone come,” she said. “We will lead a revolt for my son.”
The teenager had been driving a car on Tuesday morning when he was pulled over for breaking traffic rules, prosecutors said. Tuesday’s killing was the third fatal shooting during traffic stops in France so far in 2023. Last year there were a record 13 such shootings, a spokesperson for the national police said. There were three such killings in 2021 and two in 2020, according to a Reuters tally, which shows the majority of victims since 2017 were Black or of Arab origin.
Police initially reported that one officer had shot at the teenager because he was driving his car at him. But this version of events was quickly contradicted by a video circulating on social media that was authenticated by French news agencies.
Rights groups allege systemic racism inside law enforcement agencies in France, a charge Macron has previously denied.
Yassine Bouzrou, a lawyer for the boy’s family, said: “You have a video that is very clear: a police officer killed a young man of 17 years. You can see that the shooting is not within the rules.” The family had filed a legal complaint against the officers for homicide, complicity in homicide and false testimony, the lawyer said.
Lawmakers held a minute’s silence in the national assembly, where the prime minister, Élisabeth Borne, said the shooting “seems clearly not to comply with the rules”.
In a video shared on TikTok, a woman identified as the victim’s mother called for a memorial march in Nanterre on Thursday. “Everyone come, we will lead a revolt for my son,” she said.
Tuesday’s killing was the third fatal shooting during traffic stops in France so far in 2023. Last year there were a record 13 such shootings, a spokesperson for the national police said.
There were three such killings in 2021 and two in 2020, according to a Reuters tally, which shows the majority of victims since 2017 were Black or of Arab origin.
Two leading police unions fought back against the criticism, saying the detained police officer should be presumed innocent until found otherwise.Two leading police unions fought back against the criticism, saying the detained police officer should be presumed innocent until found otherwise.
With Reuters and Agence France-PresseWith Reuters and Agence France-Presse