France riots – live: Children as young as 12 detained for attacking police amid Paris protests
Average age of 3,354 people arrested over past week is 17, says interior minister
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Children as young as 12 or 13 have been detained for attacking law enforcement and setting fires during six nights of violence after the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk in suburban Paris.
The average age of the 3,354 people arrested over the past week was 17, the interior minister Gerald Darmanin said.
In all, 99 town halls have been attacked during the unrest, including an attempt to ram a burning vehicle into the home of l’Hay-les-Les Roses mayor Vincent Jeanbrun. His wife and one of his young children were injured during the attack, which began at the weekend while they slept.
“We saw the real face of the rioters, that of assassins,” Mr Jeanbrun said in an emotional speech. France and “democracy itself” were being attacked in the days of rioting, he said.
Meanwhile, an “insulting” fundraiser set up for the family of the police officer who shot Nahel has amassed more than €1 million (£840,000).
Organised by Jean Messiha, a former adviser to the French far-right politician Marine Le Pen, the appeal has raised far more than the donation page set up for the family of the teenage victim.
Grandmother of French teen shot dead by police officer pleads with rioters to stop the violence
The grandmother of the French teenager 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 family members.
The grandmother of 17-year-old Nahel, identified only as Nadia, said in a telephone interview with French news broadcaster BFM TV, “Don’t break windows, buses ... schools. We want to calm things down.”
She said she was angry at the officer who killed her grandson but not at the police in general and expressed faith in the justice system as France faces its worst social upheaval in years. Nahel, whose full name hasn’t been disclosed, was buried on Saturday.
The violence appeared to be lessening. Still, the office of Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 45,000 police officers would again be deployed in the streets to counter anger over discrimination against people who trace their roots to former French colonies and live in low-income neighborhoods. Nahel is of Algerian descent and was shot in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
‘We didn’t ask to break or steal. All of this is not for Nahel’
A relative of the 17-year-old French boy shot by police said the family did not want his death to spark riots.
“We never called for hate or riots,” the relative told BBC.
“We didn’t ask to break or steal. All of this is not for Nahel,” the relative said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
They said they had called for a “White March in the street. Walking in memory of Nahel. Walking, even being angry in the street, demonstrating, but without outbursts”.
‘No social cause justifies the use of violence’, says ex-president
Former French president Francois Hollande, speaking about the ongoing riots, said no social cause justified “the use of violence”.
“It’s our social and republican model that needs to be deepened,” he told French broadcaster LCI.
The former president said it was very important to restore authority and order.
“The only valid principle is that of national unity. National unity to support young Nahel’s family, national unity for justice, and support for law enforcement and public authorities.”
French PM visits L’Hay-les-Roses
Prime minister Elisabeth Borne and interior minister Gerald Darmanin visited the suburb of L’Hay-les-Roses yesterday, where the home of a Paris mayor was rammed and set alight while his family was sleeping inside.
“We’ll continue to bring order as quickly as possible,” Ms Borne said.
“No mayor will be left alone.”
Condemning the attack, she said: “The act of the kind we saw this morning here is particularly shocking. We will let no violence get by unpunished.”
Protests spread to Switzerland and Belgium
Protests against the death of a 17-year-old boy in France have spread to the neighbouring countries of Switzerland and Belgium.
In the Swiss city of Lausanne, clashes broke out between police and groups of protesters, similar to the clashes in France.
Seven people, mostly teenagers, were detained after several shops were vandalised in Lausanne, The Telegraph reported.
Around 100 people gathered in the mainly French-speaking western part of Switzerland, where paving stones and at least one Molotov cocktail were thrown at officers, the police said.
About a dozen people were detained in the Belgian capital, Brussels, and several fires were brought under control last week
At least 45,000 police to be deployed after attack on mayor
The office of interior minister Gerald Darmanin said 45,000 police officers would again be deployed in the streets which saw a burning car hit the home of the mayor of the Paris suburb of L’Hay-les-Roses.
Several police stations and town halls have been targeted by fires or vandalism in recent days, but such a personal attack on a mayor’s home is unusual.
Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun said his wife and one of his children were injured in the 1:30 am attack while they slept and he was in the town hall monitoring the violence.
Mr Jeanbrun, of the conservative opposition Republicans party, said the attack represented a new stage of “horror and ignominy” in the unrest.
Travellers to France advised not to cancel trips
Holidaymakers have been advised by a travel expert not to cancel their trips to France following five nights of unrest but to stay “flexible” and avoid big cities at night-time.
The UK government updated its guidance for travellers to France to warn of “potential disruption” but it does not advise against travel to the country.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay encouraged people considering travelling to France to check the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for updated advice.
More here.
Travellers to France advised not to cancel trips but to avoid cities at night
Rioting has spread across the country following the fatal shooting by police of a 17-year-old boy.
Aunt of teenager pleads for violence to stop
The aunt of a French teenager shot dead by police last week has urged the “violence to stop” and her nephew’s death to trigger “real change” peacefully, in a heartfelt interview with The Independent.
Hatifa, who turned 47 on Saturday, the day of her nephew’s funeral, described Nahel Merzouk, 17, as a “loving teddy bear” who had big ambitions, liked to write rap lyrics, and was “dedicated” to his mother.
She said the family – who are of Algerian and Moroccan origin – had been overwhelmed by the national and global response to his killing last week by a police officer during a traffic stop in a west Parisian suburb.“I ask that the violence stop. I don’t want people to get hurt. The family is very much against the violence,” Hatifa, a mother-of-four herself, told The Independent.
Bel Trew reports.
Aunt of teenager whose death sparked riots across France pleads for violence to stop
Exclusive: The family hope that Nahel’s death at the hands of a police officer will bring ‘real change’, his aunt tells Bel Trew in Paris
Where are the riots in France and why are they happening?
France has endured a fifth night of violence following a day when emotional mourners gathered for the funeral of a teenager whose killing by police sparked nationwide unrest.
The clashes between police and protesters spread across the country throughout the week.
The national police have reported fires or skirmishes in multiple cities, from Toulouse in the south to Lille in the north, though the nexus of tensions was Nanterre and other Paris suburbs.
In the southern city of Marseille, France’s second-largest, authorities banned public demonstrations, and encouraged restaurants to close outdoor eating areas early.
They said all public transport would stop at 7pm.
Chris Stevenson has more.
Where are the French riots and why are they happening?
The shooting of the 17-year-old teenager has sparked outrage in a number of cities
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies