The violent protests in France triggered by the fatal police shooting of a teen continued for a fourth straight night. Violent protesters, mostly young, clashed with police and looted luxury stores, putting further pressure on President Emmanuel Macron.
The Police said that 270 people have been arrested by midnight before Saturday all across France.
Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron appealed to the parents to keep children off the streets and said that the unrest was being fueled by irresponsible use of social media. Macron said that youngsters engaged in violent protests appear to be copying the acts from violent video games that had “intoxicated” them.
France protests: Mbappé reacts
French football legend Mbappé called for peaceful protests and condemned violence that has erupted in the country.
“Violence solves nothing, even less when it inevitably and tirelessly turns against those who express it, their families, loved ones and neighbours,” Mbappé said.
“It is your property that you are destroying, your neighbourhoods, your council estates, your places of fulfillment and proximity,” he wrote on Twitter. “The time of violence must end to make way for that of mourning, dialogue and reconstruction.”
France protests: Gun store looted in Marseille
In France’s second largest city, a gun store was looted by the violent protesters on Friday night. At least two individuals were reportedly arrested following which the store is now being guarded by the police.
On Tuesday morning, 17-year-old Nahel M was shot at point-blank range by a police officer in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. He was reportedly pulled over for traffic violations.
Also watch | Protests and violence in France as police kills a driver in Nanterre
Police initially reported that he was shot after driving his car at police. But shortly a video that rapidly went viral across social media showed two policemen standing by the car Nahel was driving, with one pointing a weapon at him. A voice is heard saying, “You are going to get a bullet in the head”, following which the police officer then appears to fire as the car abruptly drives off before gradually coming to a stop.
