Over 150 people were arrested overnight across France in connection with the violent protests that broke out since the killing of a 17-year-old teenager by a police officer at a traffic stop, said the interior ministry, on Monday (July 3). Meanwhile, France’s mayors called on public and elected officials to hold a rally against the nearly week-long riots. This comes as the first signs of the unrest easing emerge with lower arrests and violence witnessed.
What happened on Sunday?
There was a relative calm overnight after five nights of violent protests with the interior ministry reporting the lowest number of arrests made in the last few days. This comes after more than 700 arrests the night before and over 1,300 on Friday night.
The government deployed up to 45,000 police officers onto the streets across the country overnight on Sunday to quell the unrest. The unrest follows the fatal shooting of Nahel, a 17-year-old teenager of North African descent, on Tuesday, by a police officer at a traffic stop.
Three police officers were also wounded, said the ministry. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin reported that a 24-year-old fireman died while trying to douse burning vehicles in an underground car park north of Paris, however, it was not immediately clear if the incident was related to the protests. He added that “an investigation is underway,” to determine the circumstances of the burning vehicles.
French Mayors call for ‘anti-riot’ rally
In a statement, on Monday, an association of the country’s mayors said that “everywhere in France are the scene of serious unrest, which targets republican symbols with extreme violence.” This also comes a day after an attack on conservative mayor Vincent Jeanbrun of L’Hay-les-Roses’ home outside Paris.
According to reports, assailants rammed a car lit on fire into his home in a supposed bid to set the house on fire. The move has since been condemned by lawmakers across the spectrum including the left-wing politicians in France.
The incident reportedly occurred when Jeanburn’s wife and children (aged five and seven) were at home while the mayor was at the town hall dealing with the ongoing violent protest situation. The prosecutors said that his wife’s leg was “badly injured” and has also sustained a broken leg, adding that have since opened an attempted murder investigation.
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In an interview after the incident, Jeanbrun told the French media, on Sunday, “There is no doubt that they wanted to burn the house…(when) they realised that there was someone inside, far from stopping, they set off a broadside of fireworks mortars.” He added, “I never would have imagined that my family would be threatened with death.”
The Elysee said that the French President Emmanuel Macron, will address two chambers of parliament on Monday and mayors of more than 220 towns hit by the recent protests on Tuesday. This comes after Macron also postponed his visit to Germany scheduled for Sunday given the days-long riots.
(With inputs from agencies)
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