How police shooting of Arab teen sparked violent protests in France

Even though the unrest provoked by a police killing of an Arab teenager appeared to be less intense on Saturday, more than 700 people were arrested. Tens of thousands of police have been deployed in cities across the country.

Earlier in the day, emotional mourners gathered for the funeral of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk who was shot dead Tuesday by a police officer during a traffic stop. Below we look at a few major highlights from nearly a week of chaos on France’s streets.

Mayor Speaks Of Alleged “Assassination Attempt”

Alleging an “assassination attempt” on his family amid the protests, a Paris suburb mayor on Sunday said his home was set alight while his wife and children were asleep inside. Vincent Jeanbrun said the people sustained injuries as they fled the building.

Overnight, a burning car hit the mayor’s house. The local prosecutor said an investigation had been opened into the attempted murder. French Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin also confirmed the ongoing probe, adding: “The perpetrators will answer for their heinous acts.”

Renewed Discussions Over Systemic Racism

Nahel, the teen killed Tuesday, was of North African descent. The shooting has reignited discussions over police violence and systemic racism inside law enforcement agencies. After all, the boy isn’t the first victim of police violence in France.

The last few years have seen several people dying or sustaining severe injuries at the hands of French police, sparking demands for greater accountability. Tuesday’s incident marked the third fatal shooting during traffic stops so far in 2023.

13 such shootings were recorded last year, while the previous two years saw three and two such killings, respectively. But the majority of victims since 2017 were Black or of Arab origin.

France also saw violent protests against racial profiling in the wake of George Floyd’s 2020 killing by police in the US.

How Has The Government Been Responding?

Emmanuel Macron is due to meet his ministers on Sunday evening to review the situation, the presidency said. This comes after the president postponed a state visit to Germany, which was scheduled to start on Sunday, to handle one of the worst-ever crises for his leadership.

Macron held a crisis meeting on Friday morning – the second in a couple of days. Although the French government hasn’t declared a state of emergency, Darmanin said the Interior Ministry had released instructions for a shutdown of all public bus and tram services before sunset.

The violence compelled authorities to cancel concerts at the national stadium and smaller events across the country. Meanwhile, instructions have been issued to ban the sale and carrying of powerful fireworks, which protesters have launched at police officers.

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The sale of canisters of gasoline, acids, and other flammable liquids and harmful chemicals has also been banned. Young people have been warned against sharing calls for violence on Snapchat or other apps, or face prosecution.

Macron has blamed social media for adding fuel to the existing violence. The crisis has brought a new challenge for the president and exposed discontent in low-income neighbourhoods over a lack of opportunity and discrimination.