As violence continꦓues to intensify in France over the brutal police shooting of a 17-year-old, young rioters clashed with police and looted stores in a fourth day of violence.
According to the officials, around 900 arrests have been made on Friday while 👍over 200 police personnel were injured.
The violenc💜e erupted in France just over a year before Paris and other French cities are due to host 10,500 Olympians and millions of visitors for the summer Olympic Games.
Picture of violence and killing across the country
France witnessed brazen daylight violence on Friday despite reౠpeated government appeals for calm and stricter ꧋policing.
As per media reports, an Apple store was looted in the eastern city of Strasbourg, whꦜere police fired tear gas.
Besides, windows of a f🏅ast-food outlet were smashed in a Paris-area shopping mall as police tried stopping people trying to break into a shuttered store.
Police made almost 90 arrests in the southern port city of Marseille where young people hurled projectiles, set fires, and looted shop✱s.
On Friday evening, looters broke into a Marseille gun shop and made off with weapons, and a man was later arrested with a hunting rifle, poli༺ce said.
Authorities in the city ꧂of Lyon reported rioters again setting fires and peltin💮g police in the suburbs.
In the city centre, police made 21 arrests to stop the attempted looting of shops after an unauthorized protest against police vi🦄olence that drew about 1,300 people Friday evening.
Violence was also erupting in some🌌 of France's territories overseas.
In French Guiana, a 54-year-old was killed by a stray bullet Thursday night when rioters fired at police in the capital, Cayenne, authorities said. On the small Indian Ocean island of Reunion, protesters set garbage bins ablaze, threw projectiles at police, and damaged cars and builꦚdings, officials said🎃.
Some 150 officers were deployed there Friday night🦋.
How the government is responding?
Despite the intense situation across the country, French President Macron is yet to declare a state of emergency, an ༺option that was used in similar circumstances in 2005.
Instead, in a 🍌bid ro restore order, his government ratcheted up its law enforcement response.
Already massively beefed-up police forces were boosted by another 5,000 officers for Friday night, increasing the number to 45,000 overall, the i💧nterior minister said. Some we♚re called back from vacation.
The minister, Gerald Dꦬarmanin, said police made 917 arꦛrests on Thursday alone and noted their young age — 17 on average. He said more than 300 police officers and firefighters have been injured.
Darmanin also ordered a nationwide nig😼httime shutd𓃲own of all public buses and trams, which have been among rioters' targets.
Government accuses social media platforms
A warning to sꦛocial networks has been given that they can't allow themselves to be used as channels for calls t💫o violence.
“We will pursue every person who uses🌞 these social networks to commit violent acts,” Da𝄹rmanin said.
“And we will take all necessary❀ measures if we become aware that social networks, whoever they are, don't꧋ respect the law.”
Macron, too, zeroed in🐟 on social media platforms that have relayed dramatic images of vandalism and cars and buildings being torched, saying they are playing a “considerable role” in the violence. Singling out Snapchat and TikTok, he said they were being used to organ♔ize unrest and serving as conduits for copycat violence.
M💧acron said his government would work with technology comp🍷anies to establish procedures for “the removal of the most sensitive content,” adding that he expected “a spirit of responsibility” from them.
Investigation and legal actions taken so far
Following the incident, the police officer accused of pulling the trigger was handed a preliminary charge of voluntary homi𒀰cide.
According to the Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache, his initial investigation led him to conclude🤪 “the conditions for the legal use of the weapon were not met".
Prache also later ꦉadded that officers tried to stop Nahel because he looked so young and was driving a Mercedes with Polish license plates in a bus lane.
He ran a red light to avoid being stopped then got stuck in traffic. Both officers involved said they drew their 🌼guns to prevent him from fleeing.
The officer who fired a single shot said he feared he and his colleague or someone else could be hit by the car, according to Pra꧅che.
The officers said they felt “threatened” as the ꩲcar drove 🐽off.
Two magistrates are leading the investigation, P෴rache said.
Under French law, which differs from the U.S. and British legal syꦏstems, mag✤istrates often lead investigations.
The police officer has been placed in provisional detention, according to the 🔴pros🎀ecutor's office.
Killing of 17-year-old Nahel
The fatal shooting of the 17-year-old, who has only been identified by his first name Nahel, shook the entire nation and triggered 📖a long-sim🔴mering tension between police and young people in housing projects and disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Nahel's mother,💛 identified as Mounia M, told France 5 television that she was angry at the officer but not at🅘 the police in general.
“He saw a little Arab-looking kid, he wanted♓ to take his life,” she said, adding that justice should be “very firm.”
“A police officer cannot take his ♏gun and fire at our children, take our children's lives,” she said.
Nahel's ♓burial is scheduled for Saturday, according to Nanterre Mayor Patrick Ja൲rry, who said France needs to “push for changes” in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
