Shooting in France: Clashes and tear gas in Marseille as chaos continues

[ad_1]

July 2, 2023

Updated 19 minutes ago

explain video,

Witness: Explosions are heard as police throw tear gas in Marseille

Clashes between police and rioters took place in the French city of Marseille as the country grapples with a fifth night of unrest after a teenager was shot dead by police at close range.

Videos show police using tear gas, with officials saying at least 56 people have been arrested in the southern city.

But the heavy police presence in central Paris appears to have deterred the protests.

Large crowds gathered at the funeral of Nael M, 17, who was killed while driving his car away from a traffic stop.

Several French cities have plunged into chaos since Tuesday after the killing in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.

The Interior Ministry said at least 322 people had been arrested across the country by 01:30 local time (11:30 GMT) on Sunday.

About 45,000 police were deployed across the country for a second night on Saturday, after more than 2,300 people were arrested during four nights of rioting.

In Marseille, violent clashes between police and rioters raged throughout Saturday evening.

In footage circulating online, police can be seen using tear gas against people in the city.

The video shows the clashes taking place on La Canebière, the main street in the heart of Marseille.

According to French media reports, a fight has been taking place between a large group of rioters and officers in the area for more than an hour.

photo caption,

There was a heavy police presence along the famous Champs-Elysées in Paris

In Paris, large numbers of policemen are seen along the famous Champs-Elysées.

There have been calls on social media for protesters to congregate there, but the police presence appears to have pushed them away.

The Metropolitan Police said it had arrested 126 people. The Paris region stopped all buses and trams after 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT) for a second night in a row.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Bourne reportedly attended the command room of the National Police in Paris to observe efforts to maintain order.

Police special forces in the northern city of Lille were seen taking to the streets.

Images from the city overnight showed firefighters putting out vehicle fires set by rioters.

Officials told local media that 21 people had been arrested in Lyon. Clashes were also reported in Nice and Strasbourg.

More than 1,300 were arrested on Friday night alone, and the number of arrests is likely to rise on Saturday.

The funeral of 17-year-old Nahil was held in Nanterre earlier on Saturday.

After praying at the mosque in the Paris suburbs, his body was to be taken to the local cemetery.

Family supporters asked the media to stay away. All photography was banned – even on phones – and mourners were told, “No Snapchat, no Insta”.

explain video,

Watch: What videos on social media reveal about the death of a Paris teenager

Nael was shot after refusing to stop to check traffic and died after emergency services attended the scene. A video, posted online in the hours following Nael’s death, showed two police officers trying to stop the car and one of them pointing his gun at the driver.

The officer who fired the fatal shot has since been charged with first degree murder and has apologized to the family. His lawyer said he was devastated.

Nael’s death has reignited debates about the state of the French police, including a controversial 2017 firearms law that allows officers to shoot when a driver ignores an order to stop.

More broadly, this has led to questions about racism on the force. The UN human rights office said the unrest was an opportunity for France to “address deep issues of racism in law enforcement”.

Macron condemned the violence on Friday “with the greatest firmness” and said Nael’s death was used to justify the violence, describing it as “an unacceptable exploitation of the death of a teenager”.

[ad_2]