France erupted in violence today, Friday, responding to a call from the mother of a young Algerian man who was killed by a police officer for failing to comply with a military checkpoint. The call for a peaceful protest transformed into a loud demonstration that violated restrictions, leading to the deployment of around 45,000 police officers in the streets and resulting in approximately 1,000 arrests, with an average age of 17. Additionally, libraries were burned, over 500 government buildings were damaged, and major stores were looted and vandalized.
French President Emmanuel Macron held an emergency government meeting today after riots broke out for the third consecutive night across the country in protest against the killing of 17-year-old Nael Merzoughi by police gunfire earlier in the week. He announced additional reinforcements to control the unrest, canceled cultural activities at the Stade de France north of Paris, called on parents to keep their children from recklessly participating in the marches, and criticized social media for its role in fueling violence. France urged all local authorities to suspend public transport early Friday evening in a desperate attempt to restore order after rioters set fire to several buildings and vehicles. French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne indicated that "the government will examine all options to restore order," describing the violence as "unacceptable and unjustifiable."
Later, speaking to reporters during a visit to a suburb of Paris, she stated, "the priority is to ensure national unity and restore order." On another front, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced the arrest of "667 people overnight in France" following the outbreak of riots for the third night across the country.
A local official reported that thieves looted stores, including an Apple store, in Strasbourg in eastern France amid nationwide unrest today. Social media footage showed rioters in France setting fire to the largest public library in the city of Marseille, showcasing flames within the library, which houses around one million documents, books, and rare manuscripts, delivering a blow to the city's cultural heritage.
The confrontations continued on Thursday night in several suburbs around Paris and in major cities such as Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Reims, Strasbourg, and Nantes, protesting the killing of the young Nael by French police gunfire. The French Interior Ministry reported the arrest of 421 individuals within hours. The clashes resulted in several injuries among police, along with incidents of arson and looting in several renowned neighborhoods and streets of Paris, including Rue de Rivoli and Place Châtelet.
Earlier, an officer was charged with intentional homicide after shooting a 17-year-old boy near Paris on Tuesday, and has since been placed in provisional detention, according to the public prosecutor's office. The prosecutor stated that "the officer in question has been placed under investigation regarding the charge of intentional murder."
Some demonstrators began throwing projectiles at the police in front of the main local administration building in Nanterre, prompting security forces to disperse them with tear gas. About 6,200 people participated in the demonstrations. The French government had previously announced the deployment of 40,000 police officers throughout France, including 5,000 in Paris and its nearby suburbs, to counter the unrest linked to Tuesday's events.
The French Foreign Ministry deemed the accusation by the UN Human Rights Commission that French police suffer from racism and racial discrimination as "groundless." The ministry emphasized that "the last comprehensive periodic review our country underwent allowed us to prove that France and its law enforcement agencies are firmly combating racism and all forms of discrimination."
In Nanterre, the hotbed of unrest, nighttime footage circulated on social media showed fires in gardens across the country, in a tram in Lyon, and in 12 buses inside a garage in Aubervilliers north of Paris. In Nanterre, protestors set vehicles ablaze, blocked streets, and threw projectiles at the police after a peaceful demonstration earlier to commemorate the young man. Paris police reported that a Nike shoe store was vandalized in central Paris, and several people were arrested after smashing windows of a store on Rue de Rivoli.
The United Nations Human Rights Office stressed the importance of peaceful assemblies and called on French authorities to ensure that police use force in accordance with the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, and non-discrimination.
