[92][93] The Interior Ministry urged for calm after the first day of unrest. Kylian Mbapp, the PSG and France footballer, called for appeasement and an end to the time of violence in a message on Twitter. But instead, as already pointed out by some, France has systematically passed legislation to further arm the police year after year over the last two decades. Video, 31 minutes, French Prime Minister lisabeth Borne speaks to media. Why are there riots in France and where are they happening? [27], The 2005 French riots were in reaction to the death of two Muslim teenagers, electrocuted while hiding from police in an electrical substation. . 2. And there are indeed long-term political, economic and social issues in France that explain why things have not improved since. Macron reshuffles ministers after French riots "stunned" country RAID policemen arrest a man during clashes with police the Lyon streets. Thousands thronged the streets. Mr. Luhaka, 22, a Black soccer . [15] Macron called upon parents to exercise influence on their children. Regardless of the mindlessness of some of the destruction, the young people rampaging across French cities and towns are also expressing a deep anger rooted in humiliation that is felt across the country. [45] There were attacks reported on 27 national police stations (including 7 by arson), 4 gendarmerie barracks, 14 municipal police stations (including 10 by arson), 8 town halls, 6 schools, and 6 public buildings. The decree of the prefecture prohibits undeclared gatherings around in particular the Place de la Concorde, the Champs-lyses, the Tuileries, the Champ-de-Mars, the National Assembly, from 7 p.m. today to 5 a.m. tomorrow. Protesters set up barricades, burn cars, ransack bank, Officer charged with shooting 17-year-old in Paris suburb. President Emmanuel Macron said after a second cabinet crisis meeting that social media was fuelling copycat violence and that state agencies would ask platforms such as Snapchat and TikTok to remove the most sensitive content. French police arrest hundreds during protests 03:29 - Source: CNN Paris, France CNN Nearly 500 people have been arrested in France as violent protests over the killing of 17-year-old shot. Its glass faade was badly damaged, but rioters were unable to enter the building. Nahel was known to police for previously failing to comply with traffic stop orders, Prache said. The situation was quickly defused by police with only one injury requiring hospitalization. Thats not to diminish the hardship and injustice faced far too often by some in French society rather than others. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. It is their extreme youth combined with what has been characterized as their hyper violence that makes headlines. Scenes around looted shops in the city of Lyon. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. Video, 00:01:50'We never asked for hate,' Nahel's family tells BBC, Shock at violent attack on French mayor's family home, 'Calmer night' in France despite continuing clashes, French gun shop looted amid fears of more violence, French teen shooting: Piecing together what happened. Regardless of the mindlessness of some of the destruction, the young people rampaging across French cities and towns are also expressing a deep anger rooted in humiliation that is felt across the country, not just in the banlieues. "The evidence is very clear. 2023 French riots - Wikipedia In Lyon, a complaints office in Croix-Rousse was ransacked by rioters, BFMTV reported. Catherine Fieschi is director of policy and strategic outreach for Open Society Foundations Europe and Central Asia. [91] Macron also threatened to cut off social media in response to the protests and riots, leading to accusations of authoritarianism. Video Game Violence: Why Do We Like It, And What's It Doing To Us? Estimates of the damage have been projected to be about $1.1 billion. There is now a sense of humiliation and dispossession that crisscrosses French society, that transcends the banlieues, and transforms todays riots into a display of shared and paroxysmic frustration. Authorities in Marseille said they were investigating the cause of an apparent explosion after social media images showed a blast rocking the city's old port area . [39], On 9 June 2023, the state was condemned for wrongfully jailing seven young men in the case of the burned police officers in Viry-Chtillon mentioned above. Police in front of a looted store while on patrol. Hundreds arrested and a mayor's home attacked as protests roil France, no causal link between video games and violent behavior. As it turns 4.30am in Paris, this is where well wrap up the live blog for now. [25][8] The revised law permits police to shoot at a vehicle fleeing a traffic stop if the vehicle is putting its passengers or passersby in danger. (His son later apologized for his father's remarks, saying neither he or his siblings had become violent as a result of playing video games. I have something against one person, he who killed my son. Within days we were in hell, says French mayor. France is roiled by protests after police killed a teenager named Nahel The argument gained renewed traction in the 1990s with the release of much more realistic first-person shooter games. They're not thinking about gun control or whatever inequalities are happening in France," Ferguson said. [77] A memorial march for Adama Traor which had originally been planned for north of Paris was banned by the prefecture, and this decision was upheld by a court "fearful of reigniting recent unrest sparked by the police killing of 17-year-old Nahel M."[78], On 10 July, French authorities banned the sale of fireworks to reduce further protests. There was a demonstration despite a ban from police with people attending facing the prospect of a fine. Frances interior minister has said significant reinforcements are arriving in Marseille, where more than 80 people had been arrested. Islamist media celebrates riot-fueled vandalism targeting French Jews France riots: Nearly 500 arrested as protests enter fourth night | CNN "He had to be stopped, but obviously (the officer) didn't want to kill the driver," Lienard said on BFM TV, adding that his client's detention was being used to try to calm rioters. Why Are the French Protesting? Darmanin lamented the young age of many rioters, saying 13-, 14-year-old kids who obviously had better be at home rather than hanging out in the streets. [81], Elsewhere in the French Caribbean, small demonstrations took place in Guadeloupe and Martinique. [45] French media reported numerous incidents around the Greater Paris region. The cost of the riots in a mere week over $1 billion in damages to businesses towers above that of 2005, but perhaps more notable is that the discussion of the banlieues has receded, or is. It is an old bogeyman that politicians have latched onto in the wake of horrific tragedies. The scenes of pillaging and violence are unacceptable, Payan tweeted late on Friday, after police clashed with protesters. But the volume of those exports the number of watches shipped was just 15.8 . Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. [47] Nationwide, at least 150 people were arrested,[45] 170 police officers were injured, and 609 vehicles plus 109 buildings were damaged. One person was arrested with a rifle that was probably from the store, police said. It is an irony that this is what may finally provide a shared point of reference across French towns, communities, classes and creeds: That enough is enough and that root-and-branch police reform is not only necessary but urgent after decades of combined neglect and empowerment. After riots in France, Macron partially blames video games on violence Few are actually surprised. On this basis, in October 2020, a Parisian civil court awarded 58,500 to 11 plaintiffs who sued the French state for police violence, unjustified identity checks and improper arrests. He did not have to kill my son," Nahel's mother told France 5 television after the march. [109][110], List of incidents of civil unrest in France, "France riots: The Champs Elysees was saved from looting but only by a massive show of force", "Un homme dcde en Guyane en marge des meutes dclenches par la mort de Nahel", "Emmanuel Macron walks tightrope with French police after teenager's death", "How an early morning drive led to a death that would tear France apart", "French riots caused 650m of damage, say insurers", "Interpellations, voitures brles, btiments dgrads, "France braces for further protests after police kill teenager", "Policiers: leur lgitime dfense aligne sur celle des gendarmes", "Protests and Sorrow After Fatal Police Traffic Encounter in France", "Teenager's death during police traffic stop sparks violent unrest in Paris suburb", "France erupts in violence after police shoot dead a teenager", "Anger in Paris after police kill teen in traffic stop", "France police shooting: 150 arrests as protests widen over teenager's death", "Riots, racial tensions erupt in France after fatal police shooting", "Protests erupt in Paris after police shoot, kill teen during traffic stop", "France to deploy 40,000 officers in wake of riot", "More police, armored vehicles will be deployed to contain riots in France", "Protest violence in France falls sharply, a week after fatal police shooting of teen", https://www.echoroukonline.com/french-researchers-warn-of-a-major-explosion-in-france-due-to-racist-crimes, https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2023/07/15/nahel-m-s-death-is-part-of-the-historical-continuity-of-racist-crimes-committed-against-blacks-and-arabs-in-france_6053950_23.html, "Death of Nahel M. in Nanterre: An hour by hour account of how events unfolded", "Funeral held for French teenager after more than 1,300 detained in fourth night of protests", "Mort de Nahel: les avocats de sa mre dposent plainte pour homicide volontaire et faux en criture publique", "Teenager charged over police firebombing attack DW 12/03/2016", "Mort de Nahel Nanterre: que dit la loi de 2017 qui rgit l'usage des armes feu par la police, et pourquoi fait-elle dbat? The officers stopped the driver, Nahel Merzouk, who attempted to drive away; one officer fired at him at 8:16. The 38-year-old officer involved in the shooting, who has said he fired the shot because he feared he and his colleague or someone else could be hit by the car, has been charged with voluntary homicide and placed in provisional detention. A police source claimed the man plunged from the building, in the suburb of Petit-Quevilly in the Bruyeres shopping centre, while it was being looted overnight on Thursday, Sky News reported. List of incidents of civil unrest in France This page was last edited on 22 July 2023, at 18:00 (UTC). The grandmother of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk, who was fatally shot by a police officer in a Paris suburb last week, has called for an end to the violent protests that have swept the country since . "You could wave a magic wand and take all these people's video games away, and that's not going to have any effect in any way going to help their lives and reduce their aggression," Ferguson said. Crowds gathered at town halls across France Monday to show solidarity with local governments targeted in six nights of unrest touched off by the police shooting of a 17-year-old. [9] Unrest was also reported in Asnires, Colombes, Suresnes, Aubervilliers, Clichy-sous-Bois and Mantes-la-Jolie. [66], On 1 July, the national police announced that a group of police officers had been targeted earlier in the morning by two individuals in Vaulx-en-Velin, the first using a pellet gun, the second using a shotgun. 2023 BBC. In Aulnay-sous-Bois, the mayor Bruno Beschizza, has a municipal decree establishing a citywide curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m, Le Monde reports. Young protesters gesture and hold flares as they take part in a demonstration on a national action day, a week after the government pushed a pensions reform through. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution . Picture: Alamy French protests are peacefully happening during the day while riots take place at night. There were still 24 buildings damaged in the Paris area and 159 cars set on fire. Aussie tourists warned to be cautious in France as riots escalate. "[70], On 3July, arrests and violent activity began to abate. July 23, 2023 In 2022, the value of Swiss watch exports reached 24.8 billion Swiss francs , an all-time high. Now I see that the sons are not living as well as the fathers. The French football team urged an end to the violence on Friday night. [103], A fake press release supposedly from the Interior Ministry circulated on social media. France riots: A legacy of colonial racism? - DW - 07/03/2023 [E]ven those who work can no longer get by. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. The only witnesses were police, and no film of the shooting has surfaced. Violence easing, Darmanin says, amid at least 471 arrests, 'Significant reinforcements' deployed to Marseille, says Darmanin, France football captain Kylian Mbappe calls for an end to the violence, Two cities 'impose curfews on unaccompanied minors', Police in Paris 'evacuate Place de la Concorde', Policing unions criticised over inflammatory language, Emmanuel Macron says social media is fuelling copycat violence and tells parents to keep teenagers at home, Marseille shuts down all public demonstrations, 875 people have been questioned overnight, including 408 in the Paris area, says Le Monde, French government taking nothing off the table in bid to stop the riots, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. And too many have been injured or killed by police in the process; statistics show that French police kill four times more today than they did in 2010, fueling cycles of protest and repression. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, reshuffled key ministers . France riots: 'For the politicians we are nothing' - BBC News They're thinking about video games. Theres almost a one-upmanship on social media that pits three burnt busses against one gutted city hall (and Ill raise you two looted McDonalds). Nearly a week of protests and riots in response to a police shooting have led to violence, looting, and massive clashes on the streets in several cities. But today, despite all that is dystopian in these scenes of enraged children driven to trash their very own environment, almost everyone gets it. A series of civil disturbances in France began on 27 June 2023 following the fatal shooting of Nahel Merzouk in an encounter with two police officers in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris. Some as young as 12 years old have been setting fires in the streets of . [54] There were also reports of the Clichy-sous-Bois town hall being lit on fire by rioters. [83], In Belgium, some fires were lit in Brussels on 29 June and one person was arrested for rebellion. Four officers were injured in the attacks, one of whom requiring surgery. Lewis Joly/AP Photo. [7] In Viry-Chtillon, a town just south of Paris with a history of violence towards police,[8] a group of teenagers set a bus ablaze. [56] A vigil march was held in Nanterre in memory of Merzouk. Eyewitness to RIOTS in France says THIS is the true cause Paris riots 2023: Police and firefighters have been deployed across major cities following the violent protests. Asked on Friday night whether the government could declare a state of emergency, Darmanin said: Were not ruling out any hypothesis and well see after tonight what the president of the republic chooses.. June 30, 2023 / 10:09 PM / CBS/AP. Published. Residents started a protest outside the police headquarters on the 27th of June, which later escalated into rioting as demonstrators set cars alight, destroyed bus stops, and shot fireworks at police. Two cities in the Alsace region of north-eastern France, Colmar and Mulhouse, have established curfews for unaccompanied minors for the next few days, according to AFP. Social media companies are once again under scrutiny, this time in France as the country's president blames TikTok, Snapchat and other platforms for helping fuel widespread riots over the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old driver. [40] In an op-ed in Le Monde political scientist Emmanuel Blanchard considers the number of videos that undermine police versions of events "worrying", saying that multiple court cases have been decided based on what appear to be false police reports. The images we see are shocking, yes. "Instead, they're three of the most peaceful countries on the planet in terms of violent crime," he said. "[97][98][99], The United Nations Human Rights Office issued a statement on 30 June urging France to seriously address the "deep-rooted issues of racism and racial discrimination" within its law enforcement agencies,[58] and by 2 July, the United States, Turkey, Canada, and several European countries, including the United Kingdom and Norway, had recommended caution to their citizens in France, and warned tourists to stay away from areas affected by the protests. The shop was now being guarded by police. [58] President Emmanuel Macron canceled a scheduled trip to Germany to handle the issue, after being criticized for attending a concert during the ongoing crisis. | Video, 00:01:28, Watch what happened in the days after Paris killing, Clashes intensify on third night of French riots. And it's not just in the United States. The trouble is that the people the French rather than France feel like they keep drawing the short straw when it comes to their voices and preferences being taken into account, their political and civic rights respected, their humanity protected. This law resulted in thirteen deaths in 2022, six more than the year before. [44], On 28 June, riots were reported in Amiens, Dijon, Lyon, Lille, Saint-tienne, Clermont-Ferrand, and Strasbourg. Fourth night of demonstrations sees 45,000 police deployed as authorities claim the situation is calmer. "On 1 July 2023 the travel advice was updated with details of the riots across the country and the introduction of curfews . His death, caught on video, has reignited longstanding complaints of police violence and racism. Nationwide ban on bus and tram services follows violence triggered by the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old on Tuesday. France's banlieues - the bleak estates up in flames again. The issue of racism which is linked to the country's colonial past is more often . Looting was reported in the cities of Lyon, Marseille and Grenoble. Video, 31 minutesFrench Prime Minister lisabeth Borne speaks to media. "It gets people talking about the wrong thing. Mathieu Kassovitzs film La Haine had come out a decade before, and in many ways still set the conversational parameters around such events. [14][15] Fearing greater unrest, Grald Darmanin, Interior Minister of France, deployed 1,200 riot police and gendarmes in and around Paris, later adding an additional 2,000. The ministry said the protests were of a lower intensity compared with the previous night. Hindu nationalists also promoted misinformation targeting Muslims. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes. More than 1,300 people were arrested in a fourth night of violence in France after the police shooting of a 17-year-old boy. The crisis has exposed deep rancor within marginalized and often low-income communities over discrimination Nahel is of North African descent and a general lack of opportunity. He was critical of social media promoting videos of the urban conflict and complained of violence in video games which he said had "intoxicated" some teenagers. The urban unrest was concentrated in Nanterre, where rioters threw projectiles at police, let off fireworks, and set cars, bus shelters, rubbish bins, and a school on fire. Paris police said 120 people had been arrested in the French capital, Le Monde reports. In comparison to the manner in which other major advanced democracies handled Covid, the energy crisis or inflation, France has done quite well. Macron says France needs return to authority at every level after unrest, Investigation over fund for French policeman who shot dead teenager, French Uber inquiry finds gaping loopholes remain in lobbying rules, France: teen shot by police given private funeral as crisis grips government, France clamps down on dangerous drivers with new road killing offence, British holidaymakers warned of risk of disruption from French riots, DNAdatabase to be used to crack down on dog faeces in French town, Just pathetic: Frances make do and mend green strategy proves divisive, Amonument to French rage: buses torched in riots over police killing, French police fire teargas and protesters burn cars on fifth night of riots video, Nahel M, a 17-year-old of Algerian and Moroccan descent, was shot by police, reignited longstanding complaints of police violence and racism. [34] The police officer who killed Merzouk was a former member of this motorcycle brigade and of a specialized urban violence unit in Seine-Saint-Denis. [94] Nanterre mayor Patrick Jarry, though expressing "shock" over the video,[95] declared on a 28 June news conference that the prefecture had undergone "one of the worst days of its history", urging citizens to "stop this destructive spiral", and adding that "we want justice for Merzouk; we will obtain it through peaceful mobilization. Concerns that video games promote shootings, massacres or rioting are now about half a century old; it has been traced back to the 1976 release of Death Race, an arcade video game which put players behind the wheel of a car to mow down humanoid figures for points.