{"id":8795,"date":"2023-07-02T09:15:54","date_gmt":"2023-07-02T08:15:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=8795"},"modified":"2023-07-02T09:32:13","modified_gmt":"2023-07-02T08:32:13","slug":"france-grapples-with-fifth-night-of-rioting-triggered-by-teens-death-in-police-encounter-violence-eases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/politics\/protests-and-demonstrations\/france-grapples-with-fifth-night-of-rioting-triggered-by-teens-death-in-police-encounter-violence-eases\/2023\/07\/02\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"France Grapples with Fifth Night of Rioting Triggered by Teen’s Death in Police Encounter, Violence Eases"},"content":{"rendered":"

PARIS,<\/span> France<\/span> (AFP)<\/span> –<\/span> Fierce<\/span> clashes<\/span> between<\/span> a<\/span> young<\/span> mob<\/span> and<\/span> police<\/span> continued<\/span> late<\/span> Saturday<\/span> into<\/span> early<\/span> Sunday<\/span> as<\/span> the<\/span> mayor’s<\/span> home<\/span> was<\/span> hit<\/span> by<\/span> a<\/span> burning<\/span> car.<\/span> France<\/span> is<\/span> in<\/span> its<\/span> fifth<\/span> night<\/span> of<\/span> riots<\/span> sparked<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> police<\/span> killing<\/span> of<\/span> a<\/span> teenager,<\/span> but<\/span> overall<\/span> violence<\/span> appears<\/span> to<\/span> have<\/span> subsided<\/span> compared<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> night<\/span> before,<\/span> despite<\/span> continued<\/span> unrest.<\/span>\u00a0
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A<\/span> total<\/span> of<\/span> 719<\/span> people<\/span> were<\/span> arrested<\/span> across<\/span> the<\/span> country<\/span> as<\/span> of<\/span> early<\/span> Sunday<\/span> morning<\/span> following<\/span> the<\/span> massive<\/span> deployment<\/span> of<\/span> security<\/span> forces<\/span> to<\/span> quell<\/span> the<\/span> worst<\/span> civil<\/span> unrest<\/span> in<\/span> years.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> burgeoning<\/span> crisis<\/span> poses<\/span> new<\/span> challenges<\/span> for<\/span> President<\/span> Emmanuel<\/span> Macron’s<\/span> leadership<\/span> and<\/span> reveals<\/span> deep-rooted<\/span> grievances<\/span> in<\/span> low-income<\/span> communities<\/span> marred<\/span> by<\/span> discrimination<\/span> and<\/span> lack<\/span> of<\/span> opportunity.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> 17-year-old,<\/span> identified<\/span> only<\/span> by<\/span> his<\/span> first<\/span> name<\/span> Neher,<\/span> was<\/span> buried<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> Muslim<\/span> ceremony<\/span> on<\/span> Saturday<\/span> in<\/span> his<\/span> hometown<\/span> of<\/span> Nanterre,<\/span> a<\/span> Paris<\/span> suburb.<\/span> Nanterre<\/span> still<\/span> suffers<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> psychological<\/span> aftermath<\/span> of<\/span> his<\/span> loss.<\/span> As<\/span> night<\/span> fell<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> French<\/span> capital,<\/span> a<\/span> small<\/span> group<\/span> gathered<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es<\/span> to<\/span> protest<\/span> Neel’s<\/span> death<\/span> and<\/span> police<\/span> brutality.<\/span><\/p>\n

However,<\/span> they<\/span> encountered<\/span> a<\/span> powerful<\/span> presence<\/span> with<\/span> hundreds<\/span> of<\/span> policemen<\/span> armed<\/span> with<\/span> batons<\/span> and<\/span> shields<\/span> guarding<\/span> the<\/span> famous<\/span> boulevards<\/span> and<\/span> luxury<\/span> boutiques<\/span> such<\/span> as<\/span> Cartier<\/span> and<\/span> Dior.<\/span> In<\/span> less<\/span> wealthy<\/span> areas<\/span> north<\/span> of<\/span> Paris,<\/span> protesters<\/span> set<\/span> up<\/span> barricades<\/span> and<\/span> set<\/span> off<\/span> firecrackers,<\/span> while<\/span> police<\/span> responded<\/span> with<\/span> tear<\/span> gas<\/span> and<\/span> stun<\/span> grenades.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> an<\/span> unprecedented<\/span> act,<\/span> a<\/span> burning<\/span> car<\/span> crashed<\/span> into<\/span> the<\/span> mayor’s<\/span> house<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Parisian<\/span> suburb<\/span> of<\/span> Les<\/span> Les<\/span> Roses<\/span> overnight.<\/span> Several<\/span> schools,<\/span> police<\/span> stations,<\/span> city<\/span> halls<\/span> and<\/span> businesses<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> hit<\/span> by<\/span> fires<\/span> and<\/span> vandalism<\/span> in<\/span> recent<\/span> days,<\/span> but<\/span> the<\/span> attack<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> mayor’s<\/span> residence<\/span> adds<\/span> a<\/span> personal<\/span> dimension<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> unrest.<\/span> There<\/span> were<\/span> also<\/span> skirmishes<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Mediterranean<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> Marseille,<\/span> although<\/span> less<\/span> violent<\/span> than<\/span> the<\/span> night<\/span> before,<\/span> according<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> interior<\/span> ministry.<\/span> A<\/span> reinforced<\/span> police<\/span> force<\/span> managed<\/span> to<\/span> arrest<\/span> 55<\/span> people<\/span> there.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> number<\/span> of<\/span> arrests<\/span> across<\/span> the<\/span> country<\/span> was<\/span> down<\/span> slightly<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> previous<\/span> night,<\/span> but<\/span> Interior<\/span> Minister<\/span> Gerard<\/span> Dalmanin<\/span> said<\/span> it<\/span> was<\/span> due<\/span> to<\/span> decisive<\/span> action<\/span> by<\/span> security<\/span> forces.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A<\/span> total<\/span> of<\/span> 2,800<\/span> people<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> arrested<\/span> since<\/span> Neher’s<\/span> death<\/span> on<\/span> Tuesday.<\/span> While<\/span> the<\/span> massive<\/span> deployment<\/span> of<\/span> police<\/span> has<\/span> provided<\/span> reassurance<\/span> to<\/span> terrified<\/span> residents<\/span> in<\/span> targeted<\/span> areas<\/span> and<\/span> shop<\/span> owners<\/span> whose<\/span> stores<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> looted,<\/span> those<\/span> who<\/span> see<\/span> police<\/span> action<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> root<\/span> cause<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> current<\/span> crisis<\/span> in<\/span> France.<\/span> This<\/span> further<\/span> fueled<\/span> his<\/span> frustration.<\/span><\/p>\n

The<\/span> ongoing<\/span> violence<\/span> has<\/span> also<\/span> taken<\/span> a<\/span> toll<\/span> on<\/span> President<\/span> Macron’s<\/span> diplomatic<\/span> standing.<\/span> The<\/span> office<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> German<\/span> president,<\/span> Frank-Walter<\/span> Steinmeier,<\/span> announced<\/span> that<\/span> President<\/span> Emmanuel<\/span> Macron<\/span> has<\/span> requested<\/span> the<\/span> postponement<\/span> of<\/span> his<\/span> state<\/span> visit<\/span> to<\/span> Germany,<\/span> the<\/span> first<\/span> French<\/span> president<\/span> to<\/span> do<\/span> so<\/span> in<\/span> 23<\/span> years.<\/span> Mr<\/span> Macron<\/span> was<\/span> originally<\/span> scheduled<\/span> to<\/span> visit<\/span> Germany<\/span> on<\/span> Sunday.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Hundreds<\/span> of<\/span> French<\/span> police<\/span> and<\/span> firefighters<\/span> were<\/span> injured<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> riots,<\/span> but<\/span> authorities<\/span> have<\/span> not<\/span> released<\/span> information<\/span> about<\/span> injuries<\/span> to<\/span> demonstrators.<\/span> A<\/span> 54-year-old<\/span> man<\/span> was<\/span> killed<\/span> by<\/span> a<\/span> stray<\/span> bullet<\/span> in<\/span> French<\/span> Guiana,<\/span> an<\/span> overseas<\/span> territory.<\/span> French<\/span> Justice<\/span> Minister<\/span> Dupont<\/span> Moretti<\/span> warned<\/span> on<\/span> Saturday<\/span> that<\/span> young<\/span> people<\/span> who<\/span> instigate<\/span> violence<\/span> through<\/span> platforms<\/span> like<\/span> Snapchat<\/span> could<\/span> be<\/span> prosecuted.<\/span> President<\/span> Macron<\/span> accused<\/span> social<\/span> media<\/span> of<\/span> inciting<\/span> violence.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> riots,<\/span> which<\/span> come<\/span> just<\/span> a<\/span> year<\/span> before<\/span> the<\/span> Summer<\/span> Olympics<\/span> are<\/span> due<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> held<\/span> in<\/span> Paris<\/span> and<\/span> other<\/span> French<\/span> cities,<\/span> add<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> concern<\/span> for<\/span> organizers<\/span> who<\/span> are<\/span> closely<\/span> monitoring<\/span> the<\/span> situation.<\/span><\/p>\n

At<\/span> the<\/span> Nanterre<\/span> cemetery,<\/span> mourners<\/span> paid<\/span> their<\/span> respects<\/span> to<\/span> Neher<\/span> as<\/span> his<\/span> white<\/span> coffin<\/span> was<\/span> carried<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> mosque<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> burial<\/span> site.<\/span> Her<\/span> mother<\/span> dressed<\/span> in<\/span> white<\/span> and<\/span> went<\/span> to<\/span> her<\/span> grave<\/span> to<\/span> applaud.<\/span> Many<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> mourners,<\/span> mostly<\/span> young<\/span> Arabs<\/span> and<\/span> blacks,<\/span> saw<\/span> Neher’s<\/span> tragic<\/span> death<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> reflection<\/span> of<\/span> their<\/span> lives<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> challenges<\/span> they<\/span> faced.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> an<\/span> interview<\/span> with<\/span> France<\/span> 5<\/span> TV,<\/span> Nehel’s<\/span> mother<\/span> expressed<\/span> her<\/span> anger<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> police<\/span> officer<\/span> who<\/span> shot<\/span> her<\/span> son,<\/span> but<\/span> not<\/span> the<\/span> police<\/span> in<\/span> general.<\/span> She<\/span> explained:<\/span> “He<\/span> saw<\/span> a<\/span> little<\/span> Arab-looking<\/span> child.<\/span> He<\/span> tried<\/span> to<\/span> kill<\/span> himself.<\/span> \u201d<\/span> Neher’s<\/span> family<\/span> has<\/span> roots<\/span> in<\/span> Algeria.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Video<\/span> footage<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> incident<\/span> shows<\/span> two<\/span> police<\/span> officers<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> car<\/span> window,<\/span> one<\/span> pointing<\/span> a<\/span> gun<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> driver.<\/span> As<\/span> the<\/span> boy<\/span> drove<\/span> forward,<\/span> the<\/span> officer<\/span> fired<\/span> a<\/span> shot<\/span> through<\/span> the<\/span> windshield.<\/span> The<\/span> police<\/span> officer<\/span> involved<\/span> was<\/span> charged<\/span> with<\/span> first-degree<\/span> murder.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Last<\/span> year,<\/span> 13<\/span> people<\/span> were<\/span> shot<\/span> dead<\/span> by<\/span> French<\/span> police<\/span> for<\/span> violating<\/span> the<\/span> moratorium,<\/span> and<\/span> three<\/span> such<\/span> incidents<\/span> have<\/span> occurred<\/span> this<\/span> year.<\/span> In<\/span> the<\/span> wake<\/span> of<\/span> these<\/span> incidents,<\/span> there<\/span> are<\/span> growing<\/span> calls<\/span> for<\/span> police<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> held<\/span> accountable.<\/span> The<\/span> killing<\/span> of<\/span> George<\/span> Floyd<\/span> by<\/span> police<\/span> in<\/span> Minnesota<\/span> has<\/span> sparked<\/span> protests<\/span> against<\/span> police<\/span> brutality<\/span> and<\/span> racial<\/span> injustice<\/span> in<\/span> France.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> reaction<\/span> to<\/span> Neher’s<\/span> assassination,<\/span> like<\/span> Neher’s<\/span> upbringing,<\/span> highlights<\/span> the<\/span> potential<\/span> for<\/span> ongoing<\/span> poverty,<\/span> discrimination<\/span> and<\/span> limited<\/span> employment<\/span> in<\/span> neighborhoods<\/span> across<\/span> France<\/span> where<\/span> many<\/span> residents<\/span> have<\/span> roots<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> former<\/span> French<\/span> colonies.<\/span> It<\/span> reminds<\/span> me.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“The<\/span> story<\/span> of<\/span> Nahel<\/span> is<\/span> the<\/span> spark<\/span> that<\/span> ignites<\/span> the<\/span> gas.<\/span> Desperate<\/span> young<\/span> people<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> waiting<\/span> for<\/span> it.”<\/span> “We<\/span> have<\/span> no<\/span> housing,<\/span> no<\/span> jobs,<\/span> and<\/span> even<\/span> if<\/span> we<\/span> do<\/span> have<\/span> jobs,<\/span> the<\/span> wages<\/span> are<\/span> too<\/span> low,”<\/span> said<\/span> Samba<\/span> Sek,<\/span> 39,<\/span> a<\/span> transport<\/span> worker<\/span> from<\/span> Clichy-sous-Bois,<\/span> a<\/span> suburb<\/span> of<\/span> Paris.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Clichy-sous-Bois<\/span> became<\/span> the<\/span> epicenter<\/span> of<\/span> weeks<\/span> of<\/span> unrest<\/span> in<\/span> 2005<\/span> after<\/span> two<\/span> of<\/span> her<\/span> teens<\/span> were<\/span> electrocuted<\/span> while<\/span> fleeing<\/span> police<\/span> at<\/span> a<\/span> substation.<\/span> Sek<\/span> said<\/span> one<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> boys<\/span> lived<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> same<\/span> housing<\/span> project<\/span> as<\/span> him.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PARIS, France (AFP) – Fierce clashes between a young mob and police continued late Saturday into early Sunday as the mayor’s home was hit by a burning car. France is in its fifth night of riots sparked by the police killing of a teenager, but overall violence appears to have subsided compared to the night […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8797,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[1585,2463,5795],"tags":[202,206,433,7051,7097,7099,7103,7152,7178,7179],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/PARS.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8795"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8795"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8804,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8795\/revisions\/8804"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}