More than 1,400 persons were arrested across France on Friday as rioting erupted for a fourth night despite an enormous police deployment, the BBC reported.
The unrest was triggered after a 17-year-old was killed by a police officer in a suburb of Paris City on Tuesday. Nahel, who was of Algerian and Moroccan descent, was shot at point-blank for driving off his car during a police traffic check.
The fatal shooting, which was caught on video, stirred up long-simmering tensions between the police and young people in housing projects who struggle with poverty, unemployment and racial discrimination, reported the Associated Press.
The violence initially began in Paris and later spread to other cities such as Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg and Lille. About 2,500 fires were set in buildings, including police stations and government offices, and several stores have been looted.
On Saturday, France’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that the average age of those arrested across the country was 17. He also said that more than 200 police officers have been injured, reported Reuters.
The interior minister has ordered a nationwide shutdown of all public buses and trams after 9 pm and warned social networks to not allow themselves to be used as channels to call for further violence.
“We will pursue every person who uses these social networks to commit violent acts,” he said, according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, the country’s national football team called for an end to the violence in a rare statement.
“Many of us are from working-class neighbourhoods, we too share this feeling of pain and sadness,” the players said in a statement. “Violence resolves nothing...There are other peaceful and constructive ways to express yourself.”
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!