- Violent riots in France subside after five days of unrest
- Mayors call for demonstrations to condemn violence and looting
- President Macron orders “massive” police presence to maintain calm
France’s five-day rioting over the police shooting of adolescent Nahel M during a traffic stop look to be calming.
Violence subsided and fewer arrests were made on Sunday night.
President Emmanuel Macron has however instructed the interior ministry to maintain a “massive” police presence on the streets.
Monday, mayors called for demonstrations in front of town halls to condemn the violence and looting.
Patrick Jarry, the mayor of Nanterre, Nahel’s hometown, expressed satisfaction that the violence had subsided, but cautioned that “we should not lose sight of the incident that sparked this situation and the ongoing need for justice.”
Several hundred people attended a rally in L’Ha-les-Roses in support of Vincent Jeanbrun, the mayor whose home was attacked by rioters who fired rockets at his fleeing wife and children, injuring one of the children and fracturing his wife’s leg. The incident is being investigated as an assassination attempt.
Mr. Jeanbrun, visibly moved, stated, “We saw the true faces of the rioters: they are criminals… They intended to burn to death my wife and two young children while they slept.
Mr. Jeanbrun stated, to applause, that in the past week “democracy itself was assaulted… We require the majority of those who have remained mute to declare, “Enough!”
The Ile-de-France transport network estimated that six days of rioting damaged public transit in Paris by millions of euros.
While Sunday night was considerably more tranquil, authorities were mindful not to prematurely declare Monday’s return to normalcy.
Macron directed the Ministry of the Interior to maintain a “massive” police presence across France to “return to calm”.
Gérald Darmanin, the French minister of the interior, verified that approximately 45,000 officers have been deployed across the nation for the past three nights and will return to duty on Monday.
Sunday night saw more than 150 arrests, compared to more than 700 the night before.
297 cars burned, compared to 1,900 on Thursday, while 34 buildings burned, compared to 500 on Thursday.
The family of Nahel, the teenager slain by police, demanded an end to the violence over the weekend.
His grandmother accused rioters of using Nahel’s death as justification and implored them to stop destroying public property.
Another relative claimed the family did not want his death to provoke riots, but traffic stop deadly force laws must change.
She added that her “heart is in pain” over a GoFundMe page for the family of the police officer who shot Nahel, which as of Monday had raised over €1.1 million (£956,200) and was growing.
Several politicians have criticized the fundraiser, which was organized by a far-right media commentator. However, GoFundMe told the French newspaper Le Parisien that the platform’s terms and conditions were not violated because the funds were intended for the officer’s family and “not for the legal defense of an alleged violent crime.”
On Monday afternoon, €215,000 (£184,862) had been raised through a separate fundraising platform for Nahel’s family.
Meanwhile, French regional administrations are providing financial support for plundered companies and hospitality facilities.
Marseille business owners will receive grants, and Paris will repair public buildings.
However, the violence could hurt tourism just as summer begins.
A tourism official told Le Point that up to 25% of Paris hotel reservations had been cancelled.
The regional transport network for Ile-de-France told AFP that public transportation suffered €20 million in damages, including “burned buses, a torched tramway, two damaged tramways, and shattered urban infrastructure.”
Francois Rial stated that the riots posed “a real risk” to France’s image: “This is true even if the unrest subsides, as many tourists are allergic to risk.”
President Macron will meet with the mayors of 220 municipalities affected by the violence on Tuesday.
