French police arrest 157, firefighter dies trying to douse burning cars

Issued on: 03/07/2023 – 08:19

• The 17-year-old victim, identified only as Nahel M., was shot at point-blank range by a police officer on Tuesday morning in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
• Police initially reported that he was shot after driving his car at police, but this was contradicted by a video that rapidly went viral across social media and was later authenticated by AFP. The footage shows the two policemen standing by the stationary car, with one pointing a weapon at the driver. A voice is heard saying, “You are going to get a bullet in the head.” The police officer then appears to fire as the car abruptly drives off before gradually coming to a stop. 
• The incident has sparked six nights of violent unrest in the capital and cities across France that have seen protesters clash with police.

8:37am: Firefighter dies on duty during riots

A firefighter has died outside of Paris trying to douse vehicles set ablaze during riots.

The 24-year-old died fighting a fire in an underground car park in the suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis north of the capital, said Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. 

8:26am: France arrests 157 in overnight rioting, lower than previous days

The French interior ministry has updated the number of arrests made by police overnight to 157.

7:49am: France’s mayors seek to mobilise public against riots

France’s mayors have called on members of the public and elected officials to gather at town halls across the country on Monday in a show of mass opposition to violent protests that have dragged on for nearly a week.

The extraordinary call for a “mobilisation of citizens for a return to republican order” came after the home of the mayor of a Paris suburb was rammed with a flaming car in an apparent bid to burn it down, prompting widespread outrage. 

In a press release, an association of the country’s mayors noted that “communes everywhere in France are the scene of serious unrest, which targets republican symbols with extreme violence”.

3:09am: 78 arrests made across France Sunday

The interior ministry said police made 78 arrests nationwide on Sunday, down significantly from 719 arrests the day before.

More than 3,000 people have been detained overall following a mass security deployment.

Hundreds of police and firefighters have been injured in the violence, although authorities haven’t said how many protesters have been hurt.

Key developments from Sunday, July 2:

President Emmanuel Macron held a special security meeting Sunday night and plans to meet Monday with the heads of both houses of parliament and Tuesday with the mayors of 220 towns and cities affected by the protests, said a participant in the meeting, who spoke anonymously in line with French government practices. Macron also wants to start a detailed, longer-term assessment of the reasons that led to the unrest, the official said.

The grandmother of the French teenager Nahel, shot dead by police during a traffic stop, pleaded Sunday for rioters to stop after five nights of unrest, while authorities expressed outrage at an attack on a suburban mayor’s home that injured his family members.

Read yesterday’s liveblog to see how all the day’s events unfolded.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, Reuters and AP)