Riots and protests erupted in the Paris suburb of Nanterre in response to the police killing of a 17-year-old man of Algerian descent.
French Riots: A recent report from France’s Ministry of Interior has provided a quantification of the extensive damage caused during nearly a week of protests following the police killing of a teenager of North African heritage.
According to the report, obtained by the French newspaper Le Parisien, there were a total of 5,662 vehicle fires and over 1,000 buildings that sustained damage.
Since the outbreak of riots on Tuesday, law enforcement officials have carried out 3,354 arrests, with 1,282 of them taking place in the Paris metro area alone, as detailed in the report.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin disclosed that over half of those arrested had no prior criminal record and were not previously known to the police. The average age of the individuals arrested is 17.
The report also highlighted that during the period of unrest, there were 254 attacks on law enforcement premises, resulting in over 720 injured personnel. Additionally, more than 1,000 buildings were either burnt or damaged.
The most intense incidents occurred on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. Within this timeframe, approximately 2,186 arrests were made, around 3,500 vehicles were set on fire, and there were 168 attacks specifically targeting police premises.
Over the past two nights, the demonstrations have diminished as authorities have deployed additional police forces to suppress the unrest.
The underlying cause of the unrest, primarily led by teenagers in the suburbs and urban housing projects, stems from perceived systemic discrimination against young individuals with immigrant backgrounds by the French state.
Organized protests have been scarce, apart from a recent march in memory of Nahel, the 17-year-old of Algerian descent who was tragically killed in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris, last Tuesday. Instead, the anger has manifested in confrontations between young protesters and the police, with both sides resorting to increasingly aggressive tactics.
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On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron held a meeting with mayors representing 220 towns from various regions of the country. During the period from Sunday to Monday, a total of 34 buildings, including several government-affiliated structures, were targeted in attacks across France.
Macron, in his previous statements, attributed the rapid spread of the unrest to social media and urged parents to assume responsibility for the actions of their teenage children. Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti stated on France Inter radio that parents who relinquished this responsibility, either due to disinterest or a deliberate choice, would face legal prosecution.