Nearly 1,000 people have been arrested across France overnight as police have claimed they are “at war” while the family of a teenager shot dead by an officer prepared for his funeral on Saturday.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced on Saturday morning that 994 people had been arrested in the fourth consecutive night of nationwide clashes while 79 were injured.
In turn, police claimed in a leaked intelligence report that they are “at wore with savage hordes of vermin” intent on attacking them and destroying as much property as possible.
Nahel Merzouk, 17, will on Saturday be laid to rest following an Islamic ceremony close to his home in the north-western Paris suburb of Nanterre, where he was shot in the chest as he sat at the wheel of a stationary Mercedes last Tuesday.
The officer responsible – identified as Florian M., 38 – remains on remand having been charged with murder.
Meanwhile, Nahel M’s mother, identified as just Mounia, told France 5 television: “I don’t blame the police, I blame one person: the one who took the life of my son.”
The UK Foreign Office has warned British tourists about the dangers of travelling in France.
Key Points
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Teen’s mother speaks out for the first time since shooting
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UK issues France travel warning after looting across city
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UN says shooting a chance to address racism in police
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France to halt bus, tram traffic on Friday night following riots – French interior minister
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Young man dies after jumping out of building during riots – Rouen Prosecution Office
Britons travelling to France warned of travel disruption
Friday 30 June 2023 12:48 , Matt Mathers
The UK has warned residents travelling to France they could face “disruption” to road and public transport journeys following a third night of violent protests over the police shooting of a teenager.
“Since 27 June, riots have 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 provision may be reduced, “ the Foreign Office said in updated guidance.
“Some local authorities may impose curfews. Locations and timing of riots are unpredictable. You should monitor the media, avoid areas where riots are taking place, check the latest advice with operators when travelling and follow the advice of the authorities.”
Thousands more police on streets on Saturday
07:33 , Tara Cobham
France deployed 45,000 police officers and some armoured vehicles on the streets on Saturday as riots rocked French cities for a fourth night over a teenager’s fatal shooting by an officer during a traffic stop.
French interior minister Gerald Darmanin ordered a nationwide night-time shutdown of all public buses and trams in response to the riots and added 5,000 police to the streets, increasing the number to 45,000 overall.
ICYMI: Paris shooting: Where are the riots in France and why are they happening?
07:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar
President Emmanuel Macron has urged parents to keep teenagers at home. while his government is considering “all options” to restore order after rioters torched cars and buildings and looted shops across France in a third night of violence over the police killing of a teenager during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb.
There were more than 800 arrests across the country into Friday, with Mr Macron saying a significant proportion of them were you people. Police and firefighters struggled to contain protesters and extinguish numerous blazes through the night that damaged schools, police stations and town halls or other public buildings. There was also looting reported in a number of locations, including central Paris.
Read the full piece by Chris Stevenson here:
Where are the French riots and why are they happening?
Bus carrying Chinese tourists attacked in France
06:26 , Maroosha Muzaffar
China’s state-sponsored Global Times reported today that a bus carrying 41 Chinese tourists was attacked in Marseille, France as unrest continued overnight.
Global Times shared a video also on Twitter which showed a bus carrying Chinese tourists moving through the streets cautiously. The window of the bus was visibly cracked.
Meanwhile, it was reported that the riots were slightly calmer on Friday night throughout France.
Teen’s mother speaks out for the first time since shooting
05:22 , Maroosha Muzaffar
The mother of the teen who was shot at point blank by a police officer in a French suburb has spoken out for the first time.
Nahel M’s mother — identified as just Mounia — told France 5 television: “I don’t blame the police, I blame one person: the one who took the life of my son.”
The 38-year-old officer, meanwhile, was detained and charged with voluntary manslaughter on Thursday. The mother claimed that he “saw an Arab face, a little kid, and wanted to take his life”.
‘Time for violence must end and be replaced by a time of mourning and reconstruction’
04:48 , Maroosha Muzaffar
The players of the French football team launched a “call for appeasement, awareness and responsibility” yesterday after days of unrest.
“The time for violence must end and be replaced by a time of mourning, dialogue and reconstruction,” urged Les Bleus in a statement posted on social media.
Les Bleus said they were “shocked by the brutal death of young Nahel” but asked that violence give way to “other peaceful and constructive ways of expressing oneself”.
Emmanuel Macron urges social media to take down ‘most sensitive types of content’
04:40 , Maroosha Muzaffar
French president Emmanuel Macron has urged social media companies to take down “the most sensitive types of content” that had been posted on TikTok and Snapchat.
The president has asked them to supply authorities with the names of people using their services to organise violence, it was reported.
A spokesperson for Snapchat, meanwhile, said it had “zero tolerance” for content that promoted violence and hatred.
Macron accuses protesters of exploiting teenager’s death
04:09 , Maroosha Muzaffar
French president Emmanuel Macron has accused protesters of exploiting the death of a teenager shot by police at point-blank range.
According to local reports, the president stopped short of declaring a state of emergency but said that more officers would be deployed to contain the violence.
Mr Macron also urged parents to keep rioting children at home.
ICYMI: Paris shooting: Where are the riots in France and why are they happening?
Saturday 1 July 2023 00:01 , Eleanor Noyce
President Emmanuel Macron has urged parents to keep teenagers at home. while his government is considering “all options” to restore order after rioters torched cars and buildings and looted shops across France in a third night of violence over the police killing of a teenager during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb.
There were more than 800 arrests across the country into Friday, with Mr Macron saying a significant proportion of them were you people. Police and firefighters struggled to contain protesters and extinguish numerous blazes through the night that damaged schools, police stations and town halls or other public buildings. There was also looting reported in a number of locations, including central Paris.
Chris Stevenson reports:
Where are the French riots and why are they happening?
In pictures: Protesters hold placards in Bordeaux whilst officers stand guard in Lille
Friday 30 June 2023 23:45 , Eleanor Noyce
Paris has now seen three nights of unrest following the killing of a 17-year-old by police officers on 27 June.
The death of the teenager, known only as Nahel, was captured on video and has shocked France, stirring long-simmering tensions between young people and the police in disadvantaged neighbourhoods around the country.
Transport and businesses have been disrupted as a result of the clashes; on Friday (30 June), interior minister Gérald Darmanin asked regional prefects for all bus and tram services to stop from 9pm local time.
Recap: Who is Nahel M? The teen shot dead by police in France
Friday 30 June 2023 23:15 , Eleanor Noyce
Clashes first erupted on Tuesday night in and around the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where a teenager, identified as Nahel M, 17, was shot during a traffic check.
Nahel’s last name has not been released by authorities or his family. On Thursday, his mother called for a silent march in his honour in the square where the teenager was killed.
“I lost a child of 17-year-old, they took my baby,” the mother, who has not been named, said in a TikTok video.
Read more:
Who is Nahel M? The teen shot dead by police in France
Voices: France may be opening the door for the next Trump
Friday 30 June 2023 22:45 , Eleanor Noyce
In 1981, one of the first acts of François Mitterrand, the newly elected Socialist president of France, was to abolish the death penalty. The question France is asking today is: has it come back as state-sanctioned policy?
The video footage of a French police officer shooting a 17-year-old teenager dead at point-blank range through a car window has shocked all of France.
Deputies in the National Assembly held a minute’s silence. The young man’s mother called for a peaceful demonstration, but once again France erupted in anger with 150 arrests last night as police struggled to control the fury of the country’s north African community.
The video footage of a French policeman shooting a 17-year-old dead through a car window has shocked the whole country, writes Denis MacShane:
France may be opening the door for the next Trump | Denis MacShane
Britons warned to ‘avoid’ violence hotspots as riots and looting shake France
Friday 30 June 2023 22:15 , Eleanor Noyce
Britons have been warned against travelling to hotspots of violence in France as riots threatened to escalate out of control.
Newly-updated Foreign Office advice warns holidaymakers to “avoid areas where riots are taking place” as the situation becomes “unpredictable”.
A total shutdown of public bus and tram services was ordered nationwide on Friday night after shops were looted and several city centres were ablaze from protesters setting light to cars and buildings.
President Emmanuel Macron urged parents to keep teenagers at home, saying his government was considering “all options” to restore order.
Jane Dalton and Simon Calder report:
Britons warned to ‘avoid’ violence hotspots as riots shake France
In pictures: Protesters clash with police in Marseille, police stand guard at a shopping centre in Paris
Friday 30 June 2023 21:47 , Eleanor Noyce
Protesters have been pictured clashing with riot police in Marseille, southern France amidst widespread unrest following the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old.
More than 600 people were arrested overnight across France during a third night of unrest over the death of Nahel M, who was shot dead by an officer in Nanterre, about 11km northwest of Paris city centre.
Police officers have also been pictured standing guard in Rosny-sous-Bois, in the eastern suburbs of Paris.
Man dies after falling from building during riots in northern France – authorities
Friday 30 June 2023 21:38 , Eleanor Noyce
A young man died on Friday after falling from the roof of a supermarket in the suburbs of the northern French city of Rouen during overnight riots, local authorities said.
A police source told Reuters on Friday the man had fallen from the roof as the supermarket in the suburb of Petit-Quevilly in the Bruyeres shopping centre, was being looted by rioters.
The public prosecution office earlier told BFM TV…