Paris. Riots continued across the country for the fifth consecutive day after a 17-year-old was shot dead by police in France, despite a heavy deployment of security forces. Although officials said the level of violence had come down, 719 people were arrested on Sunday. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said violence appears to be easing since riots first broke out on Tuesday over the death of 17-year-old Nahel in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
Meanwhile, rioters rammed a car into the home of the mayor of a town south of Paris. The mayor said that his wife and one of their children were injured in the attack. Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun wrote on Twitter that while his family was sleeping, protesters “rammed a car” into their house before “set it on fire”. The mayor of the city of L’Hay-les-Roses wrote, ‘Last night the atmosphere of fear and humiliation reached its zenith.’ He said, ‘My wife and one of my children were injured. It was a cowardly attempt to murder.
The French Interior Ministry told that 45,000 policemen have been deployed across the country to stop the violence. A total of 2,400 people were arrested by the police since the beginning of the protest on Tuesday night. Policemen with armored vehicles and helicopters are constantly patrolling the streets of three of France’s biggest cities – Paris, Lyon and Marseille.
According to officials, the youth protesters clashed with the police throughout the night. Around 2,500 shops were vandalized and set on fire by the protesters at various places, he added. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said ten shopping malls, more than 200 supermarkets, 250 tobacco shops and 250 bank outlets had been attacked or looted. There were also reports that protesters set fire to a residential building in Grigny.
Significantly, during the traffic check on Tuesday, the video of the murder of 17-year-old Nahel has also come to the fore. In the video, two officers are seen standing near the window of the car, one of whom is pointing a gun at the driver. As the teen steps forward, the officer opens fire. This incident has shaken the country and people are very angry. Anger erupted in the Paris suburbs after Nahel’s death and violence quickly spread across the country.