Sixteen people were detained in France last night in riots that erupted after a police officer shot a 17-year-old teenager, French broadcaster BFMTV reported on Wednesday
PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th July, 2023) Sixteen people were detained in France last night in riots that erupted after a police officer shot a 17-year-old teenager, French broadcaster BFMTV reported on Wednesday.
Seven people were detained in Paris and three in surrounding departments, the report added.
The Figaro newspaper reported that 78 cars were set on fire in France during the unrest last night.
At the same time, Tuesday night was the second night since the riots began that no law enforcement officers were injured, the French Interior Ministry said.
The wave of protests against police violence in France is gradually subsiding. The number of detentions and the extent of looting have been decreasing for several days in a row. On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the peak of the riots had passed.
BFMTV reported earlier, citing the French Interior Ministry, that more than 70 people were detained in the riots overnight into Tuesday, including 24 in the Paris region. The broadcaster also said, citing the justice ministry, that a total of 3,625 people had been detained in the country in connection with the unrest as of Tuesday, including 1,124 minors.
On June 27, 17-year-old Nahel M. was shot dead by a police officer in the Paris suburb of Nanterre after he allegedly refused to comply with police orders during a traffic stop. The officer who pulled the trigger on the teenager was charged with voluntary manslaughter and is in custody. The fatal police shooting sparked mass protests across the country. According to the latest figures from the French Interior Ministry, some 3,800 cars have been set on fire by youths across the country since the riots began. In addition, police and government buildings and about 100 town halls have been attacked. The country's economy ministry said more than 1,000 retail stores, some 370 bank branches and about 10 shopping malls have been looted.
