Paris — Nearly 200 people were arrested in France on Wednesday night as angry mobs attacked police stations, town halls, schools and public transport in several cities across the country. It was the second night of violence after the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old who allegedly refused to comply with the order to stop his car.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said Thursday that 170 officers were injured in Wednesday night’s clashes and that 180 people were arrested.
“This was not a small protest. This was a small group of people who decided to attack the symbols of the republic,” said Darmanin, who vowed to restore “justice, calm and freedom.” He said 40,000 police would be deployed across the country by Thursday night amid fears of more violence.
Timothee Forget/via REUTERS
“Professionals of disorder must go home,” Darmanin warned. “I want everyone to know that law and order will be restored tonight.”
In a tweetThe U.S. Embassy in Paris urged Americans in the French capital region to “avoid mass gatherings and areas of heavy police activity, as they can turn violent and lead to confrontations,” and that keep friends or family informed of their whereabouts.
The police chief of Nanterre, where the shooting took place, said Thursday that the use of a weapon in the incident was not justified. The officer involved in the fatal encounter has been formally investigated for murder and is in custody.
The chaos overnight left debris in the streets of a number of towns and cities, and three floors of an apartment building were burned in Villeurbanne, near Lyon. The seven police cars in the town of Neuilly sur Marne, near Paris, were set on fire, along with a tram in Clamart and part of the Evreux town hall building.
There was an independent investigation to determine the circumstances of the teenager, who has been identified as Nahel, who refused to comply with a police order to stop his vehicle.
French lawmakers held a minute’s silence on Wednesday, “in memory of Nahel, in support of his parents and his loved ones,” according to a parliament spokesman, while Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne condemned the officer’s decision to open fire
Borne told Parliament that “justice will be served” over the shooting, which he said clearly “did not conform to the rules of engagement” of French police.
AP
French news agency AFP said it had authenticated video showing two police officers standing next to the car, which is not moving, as one is seen pointing a gun at the driver. The police officer then appears to shoot as the car speeds away. The vehicle then stops a few meters away.
Nahel was shot in the chest, police have confirmed.
The officer who opened fire performed CPR on Nahel, but did not revive the teenager. There were two other people in the vehicle, one of whom was arrested while the other fled and is still being sought for the incident.
No weapons or narcotics were found in the vehicle, police said.
