- Macron accuses demonstrators of exploiting teenager’s death
- Increased police presence announced to tackle unrest in France
- Calls for social media platforms to remove sensitive content amid violence
Emmanuel Macron has accused demonstrators of exploiting the police-involved shooting death of a teenager.
During a crisis conference, the president of France announced that more officers would be deployed to quell the violence, but refrained from declaring a state of emergency.
He implored parents to keep their children who are rioting at home and social media platforms to remove certain content.
France has experienced three nights of unrest following the death of 17-year-old Nahel M as he fled a traffic stop.
On Thursday night alone, more than 915 arrests were made, according to officials, and the government announced it would deploy 45,000 police officers to prevent further violence.
Mr. Macron stated that approximately one-third of those arrested for disturbance were “young or very young”; Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin clarified that some were as young as 13 years old.
He urged parents to take action, stating that it was their “responsibility” to keep protesting children “at home.”
Mr. Macron condemned the violence of the last three days with “the utmost firmness” and stated that Nahel’s death had been exploited to rationalize acts of violence, which he termed an “unacceptable exploitation of the adolescent’s death.”
In addition, he urged social media platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat to remove “the most sensitive types of content” that had been posted and to provide authorities with the identities of those who use their platforms to organize violence.
Snapchat has “zero tolerance” for content that promotes violence and intolerance, according to a spokesperson, and will continue to closely monitor the situation.
On Thursday night, throughout France, from Lille and Roubaix in the north to Marseille in the south, shops were ransacked, streets were severely damaged, and vehicles were set on fire. The interior ministry reported that there were more than 3,880 fires on public roads, up from 2,390 on Wednesday.
By Friday evening, police in Marseille, France’s second-largest city, had already arrested 80 individuals. It was the result of additional clashes between demonstrators and riot police.
In some areas, public transport was suspended early and curfews were enforced, with a nationwide ban on buses and trams beginning at 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT).
Some public events, including two concerts by French music star Mylène Farmer, scheduled for the Stade de France just outside of Paris on Friday and Saturday evenings, have also been canceled.
Nahel resided in Nanterre, a northwest Parisian suburb, and was murdered there just before 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, making the French capital the epicenter of the disturbance.
He died after emergency personnel responded to the scene where he was shot for refusing to halt a traffic stop. In the hours following Nahel’s murder, an online video showed two police officers attempting to stop the vehicle, with one pointing his weapon at the driver.
Since then, the officer who discharged the fatal shot has been charged with voluntary homicide and has apologized to the victim’s family. His attorney indicated he is devastated.
The death of Nahel has reignited debate over the state of French policing, including a controversial firearms law passed in 2017 that permits officers to shoot when a motorist disobeys a stop order.
It has led to broader concerns of racism within the force. The UN’s human rights agency stated that the unrest presented France with an opportunity to “address profound issues of racism in law enforcement.”
A spokeswoman referenced a recent report by the UN committee on the elimination of racial discrimination, which expressed concern in December regarding aspects of French policing, including what the report suggested was a disproportionate use of identity checks and imposition of fines on specific ethnic groups.
Mounia, the mother of Nahel, stated that the officer who shot her son “didn’t have to kill” him.
“He saw the face of an Arab, a little boy, and he wanted to kill him,” she told France 5 television. Nahel had Algerian ancestry.
Mounia led a mainly peaceful march of over 6,000 people in Nanterre on Thursday. She wore a white T-shirt inscribed with the phrase “Justice pour Nahel” (“Justice for Nahel”) and stated that she hoped the tribute would allow the Parisian community to remember her only child.
By late afternoon, the march had degenerated into violence, triggering the third night of unrest. Police fired tear gas at masked demonstrators who burned objects, and thousands remained on the streets until early Friday morning.
The funeral for Nahel is scheduled for Saturday morning in Nanterre.
The United Kingdom has warned weekend travelers attempting to reach France to expect disruptions. The Foreign Office advised individuals to “monitor the media, avoid protests, check the most recent travel advice with operators, and adhere to the advice of the authorities.”
