France riots – live: Children as young as 12 detained for attacking police amid Paris protests
Children as young as 12 or 13 have been detained for attacking law enforcement and setting fires during six nights of violence after the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk in suburban Paris.
The average age of the 3,354 people arrested over the past week was 17, the interior minister Gerald Darmanin said.
In all, 99 town halls have been attacked during the unrest, including an attempt to ram a burning vehicle into the home of l’Hay-les-Les Roses mayor Vincent Jeanbrun. His wife and one of his young children were injured during the attack, which began at the weekend while they slept.
“We saw the real face of the rioters, that of assassins,” Mr Jeanbrun said in an emotional speech. France and “democracy itself” were being attacked in the days of rioting, he said.
Meanwhile, an “insulting” fundraiser set up for the family of the police officer who shot Nahel has amassed more than €1 million (£840,000).
Organised by Jean Messiha, a former adviser to the French far-right politician Marine Le Pen, the appeal has raised far more than the donation page set up for the family of the teenage victim.
Key Points
‘Insulting’ fundraiser for officer who shot teen hits €1m as fraction raised for victim
Overnight arrests slow down in sixth night of violence
Paris fireman dies in protest blaze
French mayor says home ram-raided in ‘assassination attempt on family'
Investigation for attempted murder after attack on mayor, confirms government
Police arrested 719 people nationwide by early Sunday
Watch: Macron meets mayors affected riots
10:36 , Matt Mathers
The French president will talk to mayors of 220 cities that have been affected by violence at the Elysee palace after the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk in suburban Paris, Holly Patrick reports.
Vincent Jeanbrun, mayor of L’Hay les Roses south of Paris, took part in a march on Monday after his home was hit by a burning car over the weekend.
His wife and one of his young children were injured during the attack.
The meeting comes after children as young as 12 or 13 were detained for attacking law enforcement and setting fires during six nights of violence following the shooting.
Watch live: Emmanuel Macron meets mayors affected by France riots
Recap: Who is Nahel Merzouk? The teen shot dead by police in France
08:58 , Matt Mathers
France has seen another night of violence and unrest after police shot a 17-year-old boy during a traffic check in Paris.
Thousands have been arrested since clashes first erupted on Tuesday night in and around the Paris suburb of Nanterre where Nahel Merzouk was killed.
More about who Nahel was here:
Who is Nahel Merzouk? The teen shot dead by police in France
In pictures: Rally for peace
08:36 , Matt Mathers
France’s interior minister Gerald Darmanin and local officials take part in a nationwide action in Reims, northern France, on 3 July 2023.
Participants attend a nationwide action in front of town halls, after rioters rammed a vehicle into the Mayor’s house injuring his wife and one of his children overnight, in L’Hay-les-Roses, south of Paris.
Local residents and representatives gather in front of the city hall during a nationwide action in Persan, on the outskirts of Paris.
L’Hay-les-Roses mayor Vincent Jeanbrun, centre, during a citizen rally following the attack on his house over the weekend
Unrest in Paris ‘very depressing’ - Scholz
07:58 , Matt Mathers
German chancellor Olaf Sholz described the unrest in France as “very depressing” but backed French president Emmanuel Macron to restore order.
"I hope very much, and I am convinced, that the French president will find ways for this situation to improve quickly," he told ARD television.
"I don’t expect France to become unstable, even if the pictures are of course very depressing.”
Paris's 'paradoxical energy’ : Baz Luhrmann speaks on couture and conflict
07:35 , Namita Singh
In an interview at Paris’s Rodin Museum before the Dior couture show, director Baz Luhrmann touched on the complex issue of attending a glamorous fashion event amidst the backdrop of recent civil unrest in France.
The protests, triggered by the police shooting of Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old boy of north African descent, stand in stark contrast to the haute couture spectacle, a contrast that Luhrmann described as a “paradoxical energy in Paris.”
Reflecting on the tension, Luhrmann acknowledged the deep-seated sorrow and public outcry pervading Paris. He recognised the legitimacy of the protests, saying, “There are things going on that really have a legitimate cause.”
Amidst such tragedies, he said, the vital role of art and beauty underscored their significance as essential sources of hope.
French house Celine, owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, decided to cancel its Paris Fashion Week show on Sunday over the nationwide riots. The Celine menswear show, like last season, was scheduled outside the official men’s calendar.
The house’s designer Hedi Slimane called it “inconsiderate” to hold a runway show when the French capital was “bereaved and bruised.” Other LVMH houses such as Dior, which went ahead to stage runways like most other brands, held a different view.
Travel advice to France remains unchanged
07:31 , Matt Mathers
Britons travelling to France are being warned of possible travel disruption amid riots over the police killing of teenager Nahel Merzouk.
The advice was issued on 30 June and remains in place despite the unrest appearing to calm slightly overnight on Monday.
The UK Foreign Office says: “Since 27 June, riots have taken place across France. Many have turned violent. Shops, public buildings and parked cars have been targeted.
“There may be disruptions to road travel and local transport provision may be reduced. Some local authorities may impose curfews. Locations and timing of riots are unpredictable. You should monitor the media, avoid areas where riots are taking place, check the latest advice with operators when travelling and follow the advice of the authorities.
“It is more important than ever to get travel insurance and check it provides sufficient cover. See the FCDO’s guidance on foreign travel insurance.”
ICYMI: Is it safe to travel to Paris right now?
07:15 , Namita Singh
Paris has seen nights of unrest following the killing of a 17-year-old by police officers on 27 June.
The death of the teenager, Nahel Merzouk, was captured on video and has shocked France, stirring long-simmering tensions between young people and the police in disadvantaged neighbourhoods around the country.
Transport and businesses have been disrupted as a result of the clashes; on Friday (30 June), interior minister Gérald Darmanin asked regional prefects for all bus and tram services to stop from 9pm local time.
Before travelling, check if your plans will be affected and how you’ll get around.
Is it safe to travel to Paris right now?
In video: Family of Nahel M claim police officer ‘planned’ shooting ‘in his head’
06:55 , Namita Singh
France riots: Family of Nahel M claim police officer ‘planned’ shooting ‘in his head’
Gerald Darmanin takes aim at families whose children detained
06:35 , Namita Singh
Interior minister Gerald Darmanin took aim at families who had allowed children to wreak havoc on the streets, saying the average of those arrested was 17 with some as young as 12.
“It’s not up to the national police or the gendarmerie or the mayor or the state to solve the problem of a 12-year-old setting fire to a school. It’s a question of parental authority,” Mr Darmanin said during a visit to Reims.
Some 45,000 police would be deployed for a fourth consecutive night, he said, to try to keep a lid on unrest which has seen more than 5,600 cars torched, 1,000 private properties burned down or damaged and 250 police stations attacked.
ICYMI: Mayors hold defiant rallies amid uneasy calm
06:15 , Namita Singh
Defiant gatherings were held outside town halls across France on Monday following a wave of rioting triggered by the fatal police shooting of a teenager of north African descent.
The death of Nahel, a 17-year-old with Algerian and Moroccan parents, has tapped a deep vein of anti-police resentment in the poor and racially mixed suburbs of major French cities -- known as banlieues -- where Muslim communities of north African descent in particular have long accused police of racial profiling and violent tactics.
Since he was shot last Tuesday, rioters have torched cars, looted stores and targeted town halls, state schools and state-owned properties.
What started as an uprising in the banlieues’ high-rise estates morphed into a broader outpouring of hate and anger toward the state and opportunistic violence.
The unrest, though, has not prompted the kind of government soul-searching on race which followed turmoil over similar incidents in other Western countries, such as Black Lives Matter protests in the United States or race riots at times in Britain.
Instead, the French government points to underprivileged in low-income urban neighbourhoods and juvenile delinquency, a reflection of the state’s belief that citizens are united under a single French identity, regardless of race or ethnicity.
Violent protests in Marseille ‘like a mini civil war’, says British national
05:55 , Namita Singh
Protests across France sparked by the police shooting of a 17-year-old last Tuesday have been described as like a “mini civil war” by a British national living in Marseille.
Six nights of violent unrest, which appeared to be easing overnight into Monday, were driven by a backlash against a French state that many young people with immigrant roots say routinely discriminates against them.
Riots have affected several areas of the country, including the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where the teenager Nahel Merzouk was killed.
Benjamin Klene, 33, from Oxford, who lives near the train station, the Gare St Charles, in Marseille, has described the riots and police presence as “disturbing” and “very tense”.
More in this report:
Violent protests in Marseille ‘like a mini civil war’, says British national
‘We all want justice for Nahel’, says Nanterre mayor
05:35 , Namita Singh
The anger from the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Nahel in suburban Paris has descended into attacks against symbols of the state, widespread arson and nighttime looting.
The interior minister said during a visit to a town in central France that he’s been proven right to put 45,000 police on the streets in recent nights — and did so again Monday night. But he added that police “can’t educate children in the place of their parents.”
President Emmanuel Macron is set to meet with 220 mayors later on Tuesday, after the protests spread from Paris to impact towns and cities across France.
Nanterre mayor Patrick Jarry said: “We know all too well that this violence penalises first and foremost the children, the people and the families of our neighbourhoods and all of the residents of our city.
“We want justice to be done for Nahel and for the appeal by the family and notably by his grandmother for an end to the violence and destruction to be heard and respected.”
Children as young as 12 detained
05:15 , Namita Singh
Children as young as 12 have been detained for attacking police and setting fires, said interior minister Gerald Darmanin.
In the Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois, where a fire also struck the town hall, residents over the weekend said anger had simmered for years and many said the government had done little to help them.
“Young people are afraid to die by the hands of police. They are hopeless. They are bored and they need something to distract them so they don’t hang out in the streets,” said Samba Seck, 39.
Macron meets mayors of 220 towns hit by violence
04:55 , Namita Singh
President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday was meeting with mayors of 220 towns from across the country which were hit by violence.
Across France, 34 buildings — many of them linked to the government — were attacked from Sunday into Monday, along with 297 vehicles.
Mr Macron last week blamed social media for the spread of the unrest and called on parents to take responsibility for their teenagers.
Justice minister Eric Dupond-Moretti told France Inter radio that parents who abdicated that responsibility, “either through disinterest or deliberately,” would be prosecuted.
The anger has descended into attacks against symbols of the state, widespread arson and nighttime looting. The interior minister said during a visit to a town in central France that he’s been proven right to put 45,000 police on the streets in recent nights — and did so again Monday night. But he added that police “can’t educate children in the place of their parents.”
At least 3,354 people arrested in France
04:35 , Namita Singh
The average age of the 3,354 people arrested over the past week was 17, the interior minister said. But the problem of discrimination strikes all ages, according to Ahmed Djamai, a 58-year-old born in Nanterre who attended a solidarity gathering Monday at the town hall.
Mr Djamai said police stopped him not long ago and demanded a residence permit, even though he neither has nor needs one as a French citizen. He said the problem won’t go away even as the violence subsides.
“Our second, third and fourth-generation children face the same problem when they go out to get a job, when they go to prestigious universities,” he said.
“They’re not accepted. So even now, the problem is social, but it’s also one of identity. It goes much deeper than that.”
Crowds across France show solidarity at town halls targeted in rioting following police shooting
04:15 , Namita Singh
Crowds gathered at town halls across France on Monday to show solidarity with local governments targeted in six nights of violence touched off by the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old in suburban Paris.
The unrest, which appeared to be easing on Sunday night, was driven by a mainly teenage backlash in the suburbs and urban housing projects against a French state that many young people with immigrant roots say routinely discriminates against them.
In all, 99 town halls have been attacked in the violence, the Interior Ministry said, including a weekend attempt to ram the home of one mayor and apparently set it afire.
In the municipality of l’Hay-les-Les Roses in the southern suburbs of Paris, hundreds of people gathered on Monday to support mayor Vincent Jeanbrun, whose wife and one of his young children were injured when a car set afire by rioters rammed into his home early on Sunday while they slept.
The authorities said it would be prosecuted as an attempted homicide. The incident prompted an outpouring of support for local governments in many towns where the city hall is often literally central to public life.
“We saw the real face of the rioters, that of assassins,” Mr Jeanbrun said in an emotional speech. France and “democracy itself” were being attacked in days of rioting.
“This won’t last last,” the mayor said, adding that the “silent majority” is speaking out to say “Stop. This is enough!” The crowd responded with the chant “Enough!”
Why did the riots unfold in France?
03:30 , Martha Mchardy
Nahel Merzouk’s death has fed longstanding complaints of police violence and systemic racism inside law enforcement agencies from rights groups and within the low-income, racially mixed suburbs that ring major cities in France. Authorities deny that.
Even though the police officer involved is under investigation for voluntary homicide and President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the shooting, public anger has spilled onto streets across France. Police made 180 arrests during a second night of unrest into Thursday. Some 40,000 officers were deployed to curb the trouble, 5,000 in the Paris region.
The killing was the third fatal shooting during traffic stops in France so far in 2023, down from a record 13 last year. The majority of victims of such shootings since 2017 were Black or of Arab origin.
Watch: Rioters ram car into French mayor’s house while family sleep
02:00 , Martha Mchardy
Is it safe to travel in France?
Tuesday 4 July 2023 00:30 , Martha Mchardy
As of July 3 the UK government advises only that Britons in France “avoid areas where riots are taking place, check the latest advice with operators when travelling and follow the advice of the authorities.” It does not warn against visiting any specific towns or cities.
The latest alert from the U.S. embassy in Paris related to the rioting was posted on June 29, with the advice that “U.S. citizens should avoid mass gatherings and areas of significant police activity”. It also did not warn against visiting any specific places.
What happened at the traffic stop?
Monday 3 July 2023 23:30 , Martha Mchardy
Local prosecutor Pasca Prache said police spotted a Mercedes driving in a bus lane at 7:55 a.m. in the district of Nanterre on the western outskirts of Paris. Police attempted to pull him over at a red light using sirens and lights, the prosecutor added.
But Nahel disobeyed and committed several traffic offences, endangering the lives of a pedestrian and a cyclist.
The officers caught up with the Mercedes in a traffic jam. Both officers at one point used guns to deter him from starting off again and asked him to turn off the ignition, the prosecutor said. When the car made to get away, one officer fired at close range through the driver’s window.
What has been the response from the government to the riots?
Monday 3 July 2023 22:30 , Martha Mchardy
President Emmanuel Macron held a crisis meeting with senior ministers over the shooting on Friday morning – the second in two days.
The French government has so far stopped short of declaring a state of emergency — a measure taken to quell weeks of rioting around France that followed the accidental death of two boys fleeing police in 2005.
Mr Darmanin said the Interior Ministry had issued instructions for the complete shutdown of all public bus and tram services before sunset on Friday.
Concerts at the national stadium and smaller events around the country were cancelled because of the violence and some neighbourhoods suffered serious damage. Among the cancelled events were concerts at the Stade de France by singer-songwriter Mylene Farmer, scheduled for Friday and Saturday night.
In the southern city of Marseille, France’s second-largest, authorities banned public demonstrations set for Friday, and encouraged restaurants to close outdoor eating areas early. They said all public transport would stop at 7pm.
Mr Darmanin also ordered a ban on the sale and carrying of powerful fireworks, which rioters have launched at police officers and buildings, as well as on the sale of canisters of gasoline, acids and other chemicals and flammable liquids, the ministry said.
On Saturday, Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti warned that young people who share calls for violence on Snapchat or other apps could face prosecution. Macron has blamed social media for fueling violence.
The crisis has posed a new challenge to Macron’s leadership and exposed deep-seated discontent in low-income neighbourhoods over discrimination and lack of opportunity.
The unrest has taken a toll on Macron’s diplomatic standing. On Saturday, a day before he was scheduled to depart, he postponed what would have been the first state visit to Germany by a French president in 23 years.
Following the attack on Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun’s home, Macron planned to hold a special security meeting Sunday evening with Borne, Darmanin and the justice minister.
Violent protests in Marseille ‘like a mini civil-war’, says British national
Monday 3 July 2023 21:30 , Martha Mchardy
Protests across France sparked by the police shooting of a 17-year-old last Tuesday have been described as like a “mini civil war” by a British national living in Marseille.
Six nights of violent unrest, which appeared to be easing overnight into Monday, were driven by a backlash against a French state that many young people with immigrant roots say routinely discriminates against them.
Riots have affected several areas of the country, including the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where the teenager - identified only by his first name, Nahel - was killed in his hometown.
On Monday, crowds of people gathered at town halls across France to show solidarity with the local governments that had been targeted - according to the interior ministry, 99 town halls have been attacked in the riots, along with other public buildings.
Benjamin Klene, 33, from Oxford, who lives near the train station, the Gare St Charles, in Marseille, has described the riots and police presence as “disturbing” and “very tense”.
Mr Klene was driving home after celebrating a friend’s birthday on Friday night when he noticed a “disturbing” number of police on the streets.
Residents were told not to dispose of rubbish over the weekend for fear it would be used to start fires, and public transport across France’s second-largest city ground to a halt after 7pm, he said.
Mr Klene, who works in sales, told the PA news agency: “I was driving home on Thursday night and saw unmarked vans full of tactical, special unit police in assault gear.
“It was like a mini civil war had suddenly broken out.
“All of the public transport has been stopped at night for four nights in a row and we’ve been told not to put rubbish out as bins are being used to start fires to block off roads.
“All of the restaurants and bars around my place have now been shut for the past three evenings because of the riots.
“On Friday morning, we were told by police to leave the city centre and stay with friends or relatives if possible for the weekend.
“There were police in riot gear all over the city and the atmosphere was very tense.”
By Monday afternoon, the unrest appeared to be easing, and Peter Pam, 26, who was on holiday in central Paris with his girlfriend, said they had had “zero negative encounters” from the riots.
“We have been here almost a week now and we have had zero negative encounters,” Mr Pam, from California, told the PA news agency.
Mayors across France hold anti-violence rallies as riots begin to ease in wake of shooting of teen
Monday 3 July 2023 20:31 , Martha Mchardy
Riots that have rocked France for days in the wake of police shooting a teenager at a traffic stop finally appear to be calming – with crowds gathering at town halls across the country to protest the violence and looting.
The unrest, which appeared to be easing on Sunday night, was driven by a mainly teenage backlash in the suburbs and urban housing projects against a French state that many young people with immigrant roots say routinely discriminates against them. I
n all, 99 town halls have been attacked in the violence, the Interior Ministry said, including a weekend attempt to ram the home of one mayor with an explosives-laden car.
In the municipality of l’Hay-les-Les Roses in the southern suburbs of Paris, hundreds of people gathered Monday to support Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun, whose wife and one of his young children were injured when a car set afire by rioters rammed into his home early Sunday while they slept.
It was an unusually personal attack that authorities said would be prosecuted as an attempted homicide, and it prompted an outpouring of support for local governments in many towns where the city hall is often literally central to public life.
“We saw the real face of the rioters, that of assassins,” Jeanbrun said in an emotional speech. France and “democracy itself” were being attacked in days of rioting. “This won’t last,” the mayor said, adding that the “silent majority” is speaking out to say “Stop. This is enough!” The crowd responded with the chant “Enough!”
Chris Stevenson reports:
Mayors across France hold anti-violence rallies as riots begin to ease
Where are the riots?
Monday 3 July 2023 19:30 , Martha Mchardy
Defiant gatherings were held outside town halls across France on Monday following a wave of rioting triggered by the fatal police shooting of a teenager of north African descent.
There was very little rioting overnight on Sunday and police made fewer than 160 arrests. The previous flashpoints have included the Parisian suburbs, Lyon, Strasbourg, Metz, Nice, Toulouse, St Etienne and Tours.
Who is Nahel Merzouk? The teen shot dead by police in France
Monday 3 July 2023 18:30 , Martha Mchardy
France has seen six consecutive nights of violence and unrest after police shot a 17-year-old boy during a traffic check in Paris.
Thousands have been arrested since clashes first erupted on Tuesday night in and around the Paris suburb of Nanterre where Nahel Merzouk was killed.
“I lost a child of 17-year-old, they took my baby,” the mother said in a TikTok video.
“He was still a child, he needed his mother. This morning he gave me a big kiss and told me he loved me. I told him be careful and I loved him.”
According to his mother, they both had left the house together. While he went to get a McDonald’s takeout, she left for work.
“And then I am told they shot my son, what can I do,” the heartbroken woman said.
“I only had him. I didn’t have 10 like him. He was my life, my best friend. He was my son, He was my everything.”
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports:
Who is Nahel Merzouk? The teen shot dead by police in France
Watch: Family of Nahel claim police officer ‘planned’ shooting ‘in his head’
Monday 3 July 2023 17:30 , Martha Mchardy
Over €1 million raised for family of French police officer who shot teenager dead
Monday 3 July 2023 17:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Over €1 million has been raised for the family of a French police officer who shot dead a teenager, sparking riots across the country – almost four times the amount raised for the family of the boy killed.
The online page started by Jean Messiha, an independent right-wing populist and former adviser to presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, has attracted donations from over 52,000 people, while a fund set up by the policeman’s colleagues has raised around €60,000.
In a message posted on the page, Messiha said: “Support for the family of the Nanterre policeman, Florian M, who has done his job and is now paying a high price. Support him MASSIVELY and support our law enforcement!”
Over €1 million raised for family of French police officer who shot teenager dead
France riots: Aunt of teenager shot dead by police in Paris pleads for violence and looting to end
Monday 3 July 2023 16:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The aunt of a French teenager shot dead by police last week has urged the “violence to stop” and her nephew’s death to trigger “real change” peacefully, in a heartfelt interview with The Independent.
Hatifa, who turned 47 on Saturday, the day of her nephew’s funeral, described Nahel Merzouk, 17, as a “loving teddy bear” who had big ambitions, liked to write rap lyrics, and was “dedicated” to his mother.
She said the family – who are of Algerian and Moroccan origin – had been overwhelmed by the national and global response to his killing last week by a police officer during a traffic stop in a west Parisian suburb.
Aunt of French teenager shot dead by police in Paris pleads for violence to end
Attack on mayor’s home prompts support for local governments
Monday 3 July 2023 16:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A car packed with explosives struck the home of the mayor of the Paris suburb of L’Hay-les-Roses over the weekend, an unusually personal attack that authorities said would be prosecuted as an attempted homicide.
The attack prompted an outpouring of support for local governments in many towns where the city hall is often literally central to public life.
L’Hay-les-Roses Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun said his wife and one of his children were injured and criticized the government for doing too little, too late — and said blaming social media or parents was papering over a bigger problem.
“The base ingredients are still there. For several years now, all summer long, explosives go off that keep people from sleeping, that make them crazy,” he told BFM television on Monday. “We are powerless summer after summer.”
In all, according to the Interior Ministry, there were 157 arrests overnight out of a total of 3,354 since last Tuesday, and two law enforcement stations were attacked, among other damage.
The interior minister said children as young as 12 or 13 had been detained for attacking law enforcement and setting fires.
In the Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois, where a fire also struck the town hall, residents over the weekend said anger had simmered for years and many said the government had done little to help them.
“Young people are afraid to die by the hands of police. They are hopeless. They are bored and they need something to distract them so they don’t hang out in the streets,” said Samba Seck, 39.
Crowds across France show solidarity at town halls targeted in rioting following police shooting
Monday 3 July 2023 15:28 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Crowds gathered at town halls across France Monday to show solidarity with local governments targeted in six nights of violence touched off by the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old in suburban Paris.
The unrest, which appeared to be easing on Sunday night, was driven by a mainly teenage backlash in the suburbs and urban housing projects against a French state that many young people with immigrant roots say routinely discriminates against them. In all, 99 town halls have been attacked in the violence, the Interior Ministry said, including a weekend attempt to ram the home of one mayor with an explosives-laden car.
There has been little in the way of organized protests beyond a march last week for Nahel, the 17-year-old of Algerian descent who was killed on Tuesday in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. Instead, the anger has manifested in young people targeting police, with both sides using increasingly aggressive tactics.
The average age of the 3,354 people arrested over the past week was 17, the interior minister said. But the problem of discrimination strikes all ages, according to Ahmed Djamai, a 58-year-old born in Nanterre who attended Monday’s solidarity gathering at the town hall.
Djamai said police stopped him not long ago and demanded a residence permit, even though he neither has nor needs one as a French citizen. He said the problem won’t go away even as the violence subsides.
“Our second, third and fourth-generation children face the same problem when they go out to get a job, when they go to prestigious universities,” he said. “They’re not accepted. So even now, the problem is social, but it’s also one of identity. It goes much deeper than that.”
‘Insulting’ fundraiser for officer who shot teen hits €1m as fraction raised for victim
Monday 3 July 2023 14:47 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Fundraising for the family of the police officer who shot 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk has amassed more than €1 million (£840,000).
Organised by Jean Messiha, a former adviser to the French far-right politician Marine Le Pen, the appeal has raised far more than the donation page set up for the family of the teenage victim.
The page says that the 38-year-old officer, who has been charged with murder and is being remanded in custody, “is today paying the biggest price” for “doing his job”.
The donation page set up for the family of Nahel has raised less than a quarter of the amount at just over €200,000 (£171,918).
Criminal lawyer Carole-Olivia Monteno told BFM TV: “It’s insulting to Nahel’s family, it only increases hate where there’s too much of it already, its completely inappropriate and politically it does nothing.”
ICYMI: Travellers to France advised not to cancel trips but to avoid cities at night
Monday 3 July 2023 13:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Holidaymakers have been advised by a travel expert not to cancel their trips to France following five nights of unrest but to stay “flexible” and avoid big cities at night-time.
Rioting has spread across the country following the fatal shooting by police of 17-year-old boy Nahel in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday.
The UK Government updated its guidance for travellers to France to warn of “potential disruption” but it does not advise against travel to the country.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay encouraged people considering travelling to France to check the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for updated advice.
Travellers to France advised not to cancel trips but to avoid cities at night
Crowds across France show solidarity at town halls targeted in rioting following police shooting
Monday 3 July 2023 13:22 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
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.
The riots, which seemed to be easing overnight into Monday, were driven by a teenage backlash in the suburbs and urban housing projects against a French state that many young people with immigrant roots say routinely discriminates against them. In all, 99 town halls have been attacked in the violence, along with other public buildings, according to the Interior Ministry.
French President Emmanuel Macron was meeting Monday with mayors of 220 towns from across the country. Across France, 34 buildings were attacked overnight — many of them linked to the government — along with 297 vehicles.
There has been little in the way of organized protests beyond a march last week for Nahel, the teenager of Algerian descent who was killed on Tuesday in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. Instead, the anger has manifested with young people targeting police and both sides using increasingly aggressive tactics.
The anger has descended into attacks against symbols of the state, widespread arson and nighttime looting. About 45,000 officers were deployed nationwide against violence that the mayor of Nanterre, Patrick Jarry, said hurt young people above all.
“We want justice for Nahel and that the calls for an end of the violence expressed by his grandmother and mother be respected,” said Jarry, speaking in front of his city hall, which escaped attack.
Where are the riots in France and why are they happening?
Monday 3 July 2023 12:41 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
France has endured a sixth night of violence following an emotional weekend when mourners gathered for the funeral of a teenager whose killing by police sparked nationwide unrest.
Nahel Merzouk was laid to rest in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where the 17-year-old had been shot dead by a police officer during a traffic stop on Tuesday, triggering days of fierce clashes.
More than 700 people were arrested following the funeral on Saturday as police fired tear gas and fought street battles with protestors late into the night in flashpoint Marseilles.
Where are the French riots and why are they happening?
Paris riots: Video shows police interacting with teenager during fatal traffic stop
Monday 3 July 2023 12:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Footage shows the traffic stop in which a French police officer fatally shot a 17-year-old delivery driver in a Paris suburb on Tuesday, 27 June.
Video shows two policemen by the window of a yellow car and the sound of a gunshot before the vehicle drives off.
Further footage shows the car crashed by a Nanterre building.
Protests have erupted in the two days following the shooting, with fireworks thrown at police and cars set on fire while officers fired tear gas.
The officer has been detained on suspicion of manslaughter, the prosecutor’s office in Nanterre said
Paris riots: Video shows police interacting with teen during fatal traffic stop
Factcheck: Videos claiming protestors released zoo animals on Paris streets date back to 2020
Monday 3 July 2023 11:51 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Videos circulating on social media appearing to show zoo animals roaming the streets of Paris during protests have been confirmed as old and unrelated.
Newschecker investigated two videos on social media which claimed that protestors had released animals from a zoo in Paris.
However, both videos were traced back to 2020.
Who is Nahel Merzouk? The teen shot dead by police in France
Monday 3 July 2023 11:42 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
France has seen six consecutive nights of violence and unrest after police shot a 17-year-old boy during a traffic check in Paris.
Thousands have been arrested since clashes first erupted on Tuesday night in and around the Paris suburb of Nanterre where Nahel Merzouk was killed.
“I lost a child of 17-year-old, they took my baby,” the mother said in a TikTok video.
Who is Nahel M? The teen shot dead by police in France
Macron due to meet leaders of parliament, town mayors
Monday 3 July 2023 11:02 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The riots amount to the worst crisis for Macron since the “Yellow Vest” protests over fuel prices gripped much of France in late 2018.
In mid-April, Macron gave himself 100 days to bring reconciliation and unity to a divided country after rolling strikes and sometimes-violent protests over his raising of the retirement age, which he had promised in his election campaign.
Macron postponed a state visit to Germany to deal with the crisis and had to leave an EU summit early. He is due to meet the leaders of parliament on Monday and more than 220 mayors of towns and cities that have been affected by riots on Tuesday.
Vincent Jeanbrun, the mayor of the Paris suburb of L’Hay-les-Roses, whose home was attacked while his wife and children were asleep inside on Saturday, on Monday described the situation as “a real nightmare”.
“We have been going through a state of siege”, Jeanbrun, a member of the centre-right Les Republicains party, told BFM TV on Monday.
“I have myself grown up in L’Hay-les-Roses in these large housing blocks”, he said. “We were modest, we didn’t have much, but we wanted to overcome it, we had hope that we would make it with hard work.”
In Nanterre, in the west of Paris, flowers and other tributes mark the spot where Nahel was shot almost a week ago. Graffiti calls for revenge and criticises the police.
And while tensions were still high, some residents said the material damage to vehicle and businesses should stop.
Forty-nine-year-old Josie Oranger said people who worked hard or borrowed to buy themselves a car or set up a business were being disadvantaged.
“All it takes is one night of trouble, and they’ve lost everything. It’s not their fault, everything that happened.”
The police officer involved has acknowledged firing a lethal shot, the state prosecutor says, telling investigators he wanted to prevent a dangerous police chase. His lawyer Laurent-Franck Lienard has said he did not intend to kill the teenager.
French rioting appears to slow 6 days after teen's death in Paris suburbs
Monday 3 July 2023 10:33 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Unrest across France sparked by the police shooting of a 17-year-old appeared to slow overnight after six nights.
In all, according to the Interior Ministry, there were 157 arrests overnight, down from a peak of 3,880 arrests during the fiery night of June 30, and two law enforcement stations were attacked, among other damage.
Around 45,000 officers were deployed nationwide to counter violence fuelled by anger over discrimination against people who trace their roots to former French colonies and live in low-income neighborhoods. Nahel, the teenager killed last Tuesday, was of Algerian descent and was shot in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
Across France, 297 vehicles were torched overnight along with 34 buildings.
French rioting appears to slow 6 days after teen's death in Paris suburbs
Mother of teenager fatally shot by French police shares last words she exchanged with son
Monday 3 July 2023 09:51 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The mother of a 17-year-old who was fatally shot by a French police officer in a Paris suburb has shared the last words she exchanged with her son before he died.
Footage taken by activist Assa Traore shows the mother of the teenager, who has been named as Nahel, describing how she told her “baby” to “be careful” the morning of the day he was shot.
“They took away my baby, he was still a child, he needed his mother,” she said.
Mother of teenager fatally shot by French police shares her last words with son
French politicians respond to ongoing unrest
Monday 3 July 2023 09:35 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A burning car struck the home of the mayor of the Paris suburb L’Hay-les-Roses over the weekend, an unusually personal attack amid the backdrop of fires and vandalism targeting police stations and town halls.
French President Emmanuel Macron has blamed social media for the spread of the unrest and called on parents to take responsibility for their teenagers.
Justice minister Eric Dupond-Moretti told France Inter radio that parents who abdicate that responsibility “either through disinterest or deliberately” will be prosecuted.
Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun said his wife and one of his children were injured and criticised the government for doing too little, too late - and said blaming social media or parents is papering over a bigger problem.
“The base ingredients are still there. For several years now, all summer long, explosives go off that keep people from sleeping, that make them crazy,” he told BFM television on Monday.
“We are powerless summer after summer.”
In pictures: Police guard Champs-Elysees on Sunday
Monday 3 July 2023 09:17 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Pictures show heavy police presence on Champs-Elysees on Sunday after Saturday night’s heavy unrest which lead to over 700 arrests.
Overnight arrests slow down in sixth night of violence
Monday 3 July 2023 08:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Unrest across France sparked by the police shooting of a 17-year-old appeared to slow overnight after six nights.
In all, according to the Interior Ministry, there were 157 arrests overnight, down from a peak of 3,880 arrests during the fiery night of June 30, and two law enforcement stations were attacked, among other damage.
Around 45,000 officers were deployed nationwide to counter violence fuelled by anger over discrimination against people who trace their roots to former French colonies and live in low-income neighborhoods. Nahel, the teenager killed last Tuesday, was of Algerian descent and was shot in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
Across France, 297 vehicles were torched overnight along with 34 buildings.
A burning car stuck the home of the mayor of the Paris suburb L’Hay-les-Roses over the weekend, an unusually personal attack amid the backdrop of fires and vandalism targeting police stations and town halls.
French President Emmanuel Macron has blamed social media for the spread of the unrest and called on parents to take responsibility for their teenagers. Eric Dupond-Moretti, the justice minister, told France Inter radio that parents who abdicated that responsibility “either through disinterest or deliberately” would be prosecuted.
Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun said his wife and one of his children were injured and criticized the government for doing too little, too late — and said blaming social media or parents was papering over a bigger problem.
“The base ingredients are still there. For several years now, all summer long, explosives go off that keep people from sleeping, that make them crazy,” he told BFM television on Monday. “We are powerless summer after summer.”
Paris fireman dies in protest blaze
Monday 3 July 2023 08:08 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A sixth consecutive night of rioting across France saw a young Paris fireman die as he tried to put out a blaze in an underground car park today.
The 24-year-old, who has not been named, was on Monday part of an emergency operation in the troubled northern suburb of Saint-Denis.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, said: “Overnight, while fighting against a blaze involving several vehicles in an underground car park in Saint-Denis, a young Corporal-Chief of the Paris Fire Brigade died despite very rapid treatment by his teammates.”
The ongoing violence saw 157 arrests between Sunday and Monday, said Mr Darmanin.
Travellers to France advised not to cancel trips but to avoid cities at night
Monday 3 July 2023 08:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Holidaymakers have been advised by a travel expert not to cancel their trips to France following five nights of unrest but to stay “flexible” and avoid big cities at night-time.
Rioting has spread across the country following the fatal shooting by police of 17-year-old boy Nahel in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday.
The UK Government updated its guidance for travellers to France to warn of “potential disruption” but it does not advise against travel to the country.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay encouraged people considering travelling to France to check the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for updated advice.
Travellers to France advised not to cancel trips but to avoid cities at night
Where are the riots in France and why are they happening?
Monday 3 July 2023 07:50 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The 17-year-old victim, Nahel Merzouk, was driving a car on Tuesday morning when he was pulled over for breaking traffic rules, prosecutors said. The teenager was too young to hold a full driving license in France.
Police initially reported that one officer had shot at the teenager because he was driving his car towards him. But this version of events was quickly contradicted by a video circulating on social media.
On Thursday, The Nanterre prosecutor said that witness statements, CCTV video footage, amateur video footage, and statements from police offers were being used to piece together the timeline of events from Tuesday morning.
Where are the French riots and why are they happening?
Macron’s delays historic state visit to Germany as unrest continues in France
Monday 3 July 2023 07:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
President Emmanuel Macron chaired a special security meeting on Sunday as protests continued for a sixth night in France after the killing of a teenager in Paris.
Mr Macron delayed the start of the first state visit to Germany in 23 years as rioting and violence continued across the country.
An official present at the security meeting said Mr Macron plans to meet with the leaders of both houses of parliament on Monday, followed by discussions with mayors in the 220 towns and cities affected by the protests.
He also wants to start a detailed, longer-term assessment of the reasons that led to the unrest - which exposed deep-seated discontent in low-income neighbourhoods - the official told Associated Press.
According to the interior ministry, 78 arrests were made nationwide on Sunday - a sharp drop in the 719 in the previous 24 hours which took the total to more than 3,000 since the shooting of the 17-year-old, who has been identified only as Nahel, in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
He was laid to rest in a Muslim ceremony on Saturday with his grandmother calling for an end to the violence.
The office of interior minister Gerald Darmanin said 45,000 police officers would again be deployed in the streets which saw a burning car hit the home of the mayor of the Paris suburb of L’Hay-les-Roses.
Skirmishes erupted in the Mediterranean city of Marseille on Sunday, but appeared less intense than the night before, according to the interior ministry.
And in the South American overseas territory of French Guiana, a 54-year-old died after being hit by a stray bullet.
Grandmother of French teen shot dead by police officer pleads with rioters to stop the violence
Monday 3 July 2023 07:29 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The grandmother of the French teenager shot dead by police during a traffic stop pleaded Sunday for rioters to stop after five nights of unrest, while authorities expressed outrage at an attack on a suburban mayor’s home that injured family members.
The grandmother of 17-year-old Nahel, identified only as Nadia, said in a telephone interview with French news broadcaster BFM TV, “Don’t break windows, buses ... schools. We want to calm things down.”
She said she was angry at the officer who killed her grandson but not at the police in general and expressed faith in the justice system as France faces its worst social upheaval in years. Nahel, whose full name hasn’t been disclosed, was buried on Saturday.
The violence appeared to be lessening. Still, the office of Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 45,000 police officers would again be deployed in the streets to counter anger over discrimination against people who trace their roots to former French colonies and live in low-income neighborhoods. Nahel is of Algerian descent and was shot in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
‘We didn’t ask to break or steal. All of this is not for Nahel’
Monday 3 July 2023 07:20 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
A relative of the 17-year-old French boy shot by police said the family did not want his death to spark riots.
“We never called for hate or riots,” the relative told BBC.
“We didn’t ask to break or steal. All of this is not for Nahel,” the relative said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
They said they had called for a “White March in the street. Walking in memory of Nahel. Walking, even being angry in the street, demonstrating, but without outbursts”.
‘No social cause justifies the use of violence’, says ex-president
Monday 3 July 2023 07:15 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Former French president Francois Hollande, speaking about the ongoing riots, said no social cause justified “the use of violence”.
“It’s our social and republican model that needs to be deepened,” he told French broadcaster LCI.
The former president said it was very important to restore authority and order.
“The only valid principle is that of national unity. National unity to support young Nahel’s family, national unity for justice, and support for law enforcement and public authorities.”
French PM visits L’Hay-les-Roses
Monday 3 July 2023 06:50 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Prime minister Elisabeth Borne and interior minister Gerald Darmanin visited the suburb of L’Hay-les-Roses yesterday, where the home of a Paris mayor was rammed and set alight while his family was sleeping inside.
“We’ll continue to bring order as quickly as possible,” Ms Borne said.
“No mayor will be left alone.”
Condemning the attack, she said: “The act of the kind we saw this morning here is particularly shocking. We will let no violence get by unpunished.”
Protests spread to Switzerland and Belgium
Monday 3 July 2023 06:42 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Protests against the death of a 17-year-old boy in France have spread to the neighbouring countries of Switzerland and Belgium.
In the Swiss city of Lausanne, clashes broke out between police and groups of protesters, similar to the clashes in France.
Seven people, mostly teenagers, were detained after several shops were vandalised in Lausanne, The Telegraph reported.
Around 100 people gathered in the mainly French-speaking western part of Switzerland, where paving stones and at least one Molotov cocktail were thrown at officers, the police said.
About a dozen people were detained in the Belgian capital, Brussels, and several fires were brought under control last week
At least 45,000 police to be deployed after attack on mayor
Monday 3 July 2023 06:21 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The office of interior minister Gerald Darmanin said 45,000 police officers would again be deployed in the streets which saw a burning car hit the home of the mayor of the Paris suburb of L’Hay-les-Roses.
Several police stations and town halls have been targeted by fires or vandalism in recent days, but such a personal attack on a mayor’s home is unusual.
Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun said his wife and one of his children were injured in the 1:30 am attack while they slept and he was in the town hall monitoring the violence.
Mr Jeanbrun, of the conservative opposition Republicans party, said the attack represented a new stage of “horror and ignominy” in the unrest.
Travellers to France advised not to cancel trips
Monday 3 July 2023 05:20 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Holidaymakers have been advised by a travel expert not to cancel their trips to France following five nights of unrest but to stay “flexible” and avoid big cities at night-time.
The UK government updated its guidance for travellers to France to warn of “potential disruption” but it does not advise against travel to the country.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay encouraged people considering travelling to France to check the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for updated advice.
More here.
Travellers to France advised not to cancel trips but to avoid cities at night
Riot police patrol streets of Paris
Monday 3 July 2023 04:45 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Aunt of teenager pleads for violence to stop
Monday 3 July 2023 04:24 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The aunt of a French teenager shot dead by police last week has urged the “violence to stop” and her nephew’s death to trigger “real change” peacefully, in a heartfelt interview with The Independent.
Hatifa, who turned 47 on Saturday, the day of her nephew’s funeral, described Nahel Merzouk, 17, as a “loving teddy bear” who had big ambitions, liked to write rap lyrics, and was “dedicated” to his mother.
She said the family – who are of Algerian and Moroccan origin – had been overwhelmed by the national and global response to his killing last week by a police officer during a traffic stop in a west Parisian suburb.“I ask that the violence stop. I don’t want people to get hurt. The family is very much against the violence,” Hatifa, a mother-of-four herself, told The Independent.
Bel Trew reports.
Aunt of teenager whose death sparked riots across France pleads for violence to stop
Where are the riots in France and why are they happening?
Monday 3 July 2023 04:08 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
France has endured a fifth night of violence following a day when emotional mourners gathered for the funeral of a teenager whose killing by police sparked nationwide unrest.
The clashes between police and protesters spread across the country throughout the week.
The national police have reported fires or skirmishes in multiple cities, from Toulouse in the south to Lille in the north, though the nexus of tensions was Nanterre and other Paris suburbs.
In the southern city of Marseille, France’s second-largest, authorities banned public demonstrations, and encouraged restaurants to close outdoor eating areas early.
They said all public transport would stop at 7pm.
Chris Stevenson has more.
Where are the French riots and why are they happening?
At least 78 people arrested on Sunday
Monday 3 July 2023 04:04 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
At least 78 people were reportedly arrested across France yesterday, significantly down from 719 arrests the day before.
More than 3,000 people have been detained overall following a mass security deployment.
Hundreds of police and firefighters have been injured in the violence, although authorities haven’t said how many protesters have been hurt.
France’s justice minister has warned that young people who share calls for violence on Snapchat or other apps could face prosecution.
Macron to meet leaders of parliament today
Monday 3 July 2023 03:52 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
President Emmanuel Macron held a special security meeting yesterday night and reportedly plans to meet today with the heads of both houses of parliament and on Tuesday with the mayors of 220 towns and cities affected by the protests.
Mr Macron also wants to start a detailed, longer-term assessment of the reasons that led to the unrest, an official told the Associated Press.
Highlighting the seriousness of the rioting, Macron has delayed what would have been the first state visit to Germany by a French president in 23 years, which had been scheduled to begin yesterday evening.
Family grateful for support but ‘very much against the violence’, says aunt
Monday 3 July 2023 03:00 , Holly Evans
Speaking to-The Independent’s Bel Trew in Paris, Nahel’s aunt Hatifa said: “I ask that the violence stop. I don’t want people to get hurt. The family is very much against the violence.”
“We knew Nahel’s killing would have some impact but not this much. I think there are mass protests because so many mothers, like my sister, have had enough of being scared all the time.”
She said the family were “very grateful” for the global support, which had helped as they dealt with “deep grief”.
“But I hope that Nahel’s death is going to trigger some kind of change that means this never happens again,” she added. “At the end of the day, a grown-up shot a baby.”
