Despite a massive police deployment and 1,311 arrests, rioting continued in cities across France for a fourth night, with vehicles and buildings set on fire and stores looted, as family and friends prepared to bury the 17-year-old whose death by police sparked the unrest.
According to authorities, approximately 2,500 fires were set and stores were looted.
Saturday marked the beginning of the funeral service for Nahel, a teenager who was slain by police in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday. Family and friends viewed the uncovered casket prior to its transfer to a mosque for a ceremony and subsequent interment in a city cemetery.
The French Ministry of the Interior announced the new number of arrests throughout the country, where 45,000 police officers have thus far failed to suppress violence.
Despite President Emmanuel Macron’s appeal to parents to keep their children at home, street clashes between juvenile protesters and police continued.
As the number of arrests continued to rise, the government indicated that the violence was beginning to diminish as a result of stricter security measures. Since Tuesday night, when the unrest began, police have made a total of 2,400 arrests, with more than half of those occurring on the fourth night of violence.
Fifth Day of France Protests
Hundreds of police and firefighters, including 79 overnight, have been injured, but authorities have not disclosed injury counts for protesters.
The situation in France remained tense for the fifth consecutive day following the death of the Arab teenager Nahel. Saturday, the 17-year-old was lay to rest in the Mont Valerein cemetery in Nanterre amid protests and violence.
On Saturday afternoon, hundreds gathered to witness the funeral of Nahel. According to reports, the area was peaceful and no police officers were spotted near the cemetery. However, Nanterre, where Nahel was mortally shot by police earlier this week, was heavily policed.
After the death of the teenager, widespread protests and disturbances criticized the France’s police structures and methods.
As requested by the family’s supporters, all videography and even cell phones were prohibited during the funeral.
Source: CBS NEWS