PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th July, 2023) Law enforcement officers have seized about 290 kilograms (640 Pounds) of fireworks in Paris suburbs amid mass protests sparked by the murder of a 17-years-old teenager by a police officer, the Paris police prefecture said on Saturday.
"During a pyrotechnic control operation in (the commune of) Aubervilliers yesterday morning, the police, with the assistance of customs officers, seized 286 kilograms of pyrotechnic goods, or a total of 66 boxes with firecrackers," the police prefecture wrote on Twitter.
On July 6, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin instructed the authorities to step up action against the improper use of pyrotechnic products, in particular their possible use against law enforcement officers during the Bastille Day, celebrated on July 14.
French media reported on Thursday that since the beginning of the riots in the country, the police had seized about 1.5 tonnes of pyrotechnics used by protesters. On Friday, 2.7 tonnes of pyrotechnics were also reportedly seized near the French city of Rennes.
France has been on edge since June 27, when a teenager was shot dead by a policeman for allegedly disobeying a traffic stop in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris. The officer who pulled the trigger on 17-year-old Nahel M. has been taken into custody on suspicion of voluntary manslaughter, but that has not stopped protesters.
