The French Interior Ministry to Deploy 45,000 Police Officers Amid Ongoing Unrest
The French Interior Ministry is set to deploy 45,000 police officers amid ongoing unrest following the killing of a 17-year-old by police this week. Security measures will be stepped up, in particular in the cities of Lyon and Marseille.
Riots Break Out in Major French Cities
Riots broke out in major French cities after a 17-year-old boy was killed at a police checkpoint four days ago. There have been acts of looting, violence, and arson in some French cities, especially in Marseille and Lyon, where the situation has escalated.
French police have arrested more than 1,300 people during the fourth night of the riots, and President Emmanuel Macron canceled a planned visit to Germany today Saturday, while the funeral of a young man, Nael M., whose police shooting sparked riots across the country, took place.
France’s interior ministry said on Twitter that police arrested 1,311 people last night, in addition to 875 the night before, in what it called “less serious” violent incidents.
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said more than 700 shops, restaurants, and bank branches were “looted and sometimes burned until they were completely destroyed as of Tuesday.”
Local authorities across the country announced a ban on demonstrations and ordered public transport to stop in the evening.
Nael M. (17), of Algerian-Moroccan descent, was shot and killed on Tuesday by policemen who were searching a traffic light outside Nanterre.
