Paris: At least 150 people were injured in protests and riots across the country, including the capital, for the second night after a teenager was shot dead by a policeman in the Nanterre suburb of Paris on Tuesday for breaking traffic rules. has been arrested.
Police have so far arrested at least 150 people after they torched cars and threw inflammable substances at them, vandalizing shops. The protesters also pelted stones at many places. Several police officers have also been injured in these protests. Protests and riots continue in many places.
French government spokesman Olivier Veran said this morning that his thoughts were with the family and friends of 17-year-old Nahel M, and with all of France who have been affected by the incident.
“Last night’s reactions are not aimed at justice, but are an attack on our republic,” he told French TV channel BFMTV.
He said that the person responsible for what happened should be brought to justice and it is our republic that guarantees that if a person is found guilty, he will be punished. The officer accused of killing Nahel is in custody.
The Alliance Police Union called on the public to consider the officer innocent until proven guilty.
Protests began across the country after French police shot a teenager in the Paris suburb of Nanterre after refusing to stop during a traffic check. Emergency services arrived at the scene but Nahel died shortly afterwards.
Shortly afterward a video released on social media via the AFP news agency showed two police officers trying to stop a vehicle and one pointing a weapon at the driver.
French President Emmanuel Macron described the violence as unjustified for a second night after a teenager was shot dead by police. Mr Macron condemned the attacks on state institutions in a crisis meeting with ministers this morning. French Transport Minister Clément Beaune tweeted that no one can justify the violence that targeted transport workers overnight.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin says there has been violence almost everywhere in France.
“Shame on those who did not call for peace,” he tweeted. Over 150 people were arrested during the overnight protests.
According to French media, police initially said the teen tried to run his car over them with the intention of hurting them. But video footage shows a police officer firing his weapon at the driver.
Significantly, Nahel was shot dead by a policeman on Tuesday for breaking traffic rules in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris, the capital of France.
