French President Emmanuel Macron has postponed his state visit to Germany scheduled between Sunday and Tuesday due to riots ravaging the country over the death of a young man at the hands of police.
“French President Macron spoke on the phone today with German President Steinmeier and briefed him on the situation in his country. AFP.
Last Tuesday, Nahel, a 17-year-old young man of Arab descent, was fatally shot by a police officer as he tried to escape from a police checkpoint in Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris.
The images of the French teenager shot dead by the police, captured by witnesses, aroused strong indignation in France, which degenerated into riots, especially in the working-class neighborhoods of the major cities and in the Paris conurbation.
The French Interior Ministry this Saturday updated the total number of arrests made on Friday in connection with the riots that have ravaged France since Tuesday from 994 to 1,311.
On Friday, the French government sent about 45,000 police officers across the country to try to contain the violence, but failed to prevent young protesters from clashing with police overnight, sparking about 2,500 fires, shops were looted and 79 officers were injured.
According to the Interior Ministry, “79 policemen and gendarmes were injured”, about 1,350 vehicles were set on fire, 234 buildings were burned or damaged, and about 2,560 fires were recorded on public roads.
Marseille, the second largest city in the south of France, had a restless night, prompting French Interior Minister Gérard Darmanin to send reinforcements to the city.
Police had already recorded 88 arrests since the start of the night at around 2 a.m. (1 a.m. in Lisbon), with groups of youths often masked and “very mobile”.
Nahel’s funeral ceremonies began this Saturday with a private vigil, followed by a ceremony at the mosque and burial at a local cemetery.
“Saturday, July 1, will be a day of mourning for Nahel’s family,” the family’s lawyers wrote, appealing to the media not to participate in the ceremony, “to allow the bereaved family the privacy and respect they they need”.
Source: DN
