France continues to witness large-scale violence and arson on the fourth day as young violent mobs clashed with police officers, vandalised public property and looted several shops, including an Apple retail store. The unrest shows no signs of abating, triggered due to the death of a teenager of North African Descent earlier this week.
The violence broke out in Nanterre, a town on the western outskirts of Paris, where a seventeen-year-old boy Nahel M was shot dead by a police officer during a traffic stop on June 25, 2023. Nahel M had a criminal background and was wanted by the police.
According to Pascal Prache, the public prosecutor of the teenager said that Nahel died from a single shot of bullet through his left arm and chest while driving off after being stopped by the police.
Widespread arson and looting occurred in several parts of the country, and French President Emmanuel Macron declared a state of emergency and instead blamed video games for the unrest of the spread of unrest and urged parents to keep their children at home in a bid to quell and prevent rioting.
On July 1, 2023, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that more than 270 people were caught and arrested on the night of June 30, 2023, bringing to the total more than 1100 since the unrest began. The average age of each person arrested is just 17 years old.
In the city of Strasbourg, an Apple Store was ransacked by violent mobs who entered from the other side of the store despite the police blocking the access to a shopping mall where the store was located, fearing vandalism.
The youngsters broke open the store windows and forced the regular shoppers to take refuge inside different shops in the mall. Ultimately, the police had to use tear gas in order to repel the attackers. Coretin Flinck, who owns a shop, said, “They broke out of the Store’s windows, and we saw gangs of young people coming out and going in, trying to steal display items.”
In the city of Marseilles, the second largest French city in the south, violence continued for the second night as youngsters hurled projectiles at the police, set fire and looted shops. On June 30, 2023, a gun shop was attacked, and weapons were stolen. The police arrested a man carrying a hunting rifle. Till now, 90 arrests have been made in the city.
In Lyon, the third largest city in Eastern France, violent mobs clash with the police in the suburbs, setting fire and pelting stones at police officers deployed to control the violence. Thirty-one people were arrested who tried and attempted looting of shops.
The violence was not just limited to France itself but also spread to the country’s overseas territories, such as French Guiana, where a 54-year-old died after being hit by a stray bullet. The clashes between the police and the protestors were observed in Cayenne, the capital of overseas territory. The violent perpetrators set cars ablaze, damaged other vehicles, and pelted projectiles at the police.
The French government said it will explore certain options, including declaring a state emergency to restore order. The situation in France today is similar to the violence in 2005 when President Jacques Chirac imposed a state of emergency. The law enforcement response was further scaled up with another 5000 personnel deployed to quell violence.
As of now, there are a total of 45,000 police officers, and armoured vehicles have been placed where violence is erupting.
Emmanuel Macron attended a second cabinet after returning from the Belgian capital of Brussels, where he was there to attend a European Union Summit. He asked social media giants to take down the footage of the unrest and disclose the identities of those that were fomenting violence.
Several countries, such as the UK and the US, have issued their travel advisory to their people travelling to France in view of the prevailing situation.
As per the UK Foreign Office, “Since June 27, 2023, grave violence has taken place across France. Many have turned violent. Shops, public buildings and parked cars have been targeted. There may be disruptions to road travel, and local transport provisions may be reduced,”
“You should Monitor the media, avoid areas where violence is taking place, check the latest advice with the operators when travelling and follow the advice of the authorities,” it said. The US also issued a similar travel advisory asking its nationals to steer clear of the trouble spots and follow local media regarding the unrest.
KEYWORDS: France, US, UK, Nahel M, French Guiana, Lyon, Marseilles, Strasbourg, Paris, Nanterre, Gerald Darmanin, Cayenne, Algeria, Morocco, Emmanuel Macron, Jacques Chirac, Mounia M, Patrick Jarry,
Comments