Over 45,000 cops patrolled the streets of three largest cities in France – Paris, Lyon and Marseille.
Paris:
Riots across France continued despite heavy security deployment on the fifth night of unrest after a 17-year-old was shot dead by police. Though officials said the level of violence appeared to have declined, 719 were arrested today.
Here are 10 latest updates on the France protests:
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French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said there seemed to be less violence since riots first broke out over the death of 17-year-old Nahel in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday.
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Rioters rammed a car into the home of the mayor of a town south of Paris. The mayor said that his wife and one of his children were injured in the attack. Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun wrote on Twitter that protesters “rammed a car” into his home before “setting a fire” while his family slept.
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“Last night a milestone was reached in horror and disgrace,” wrote the mayor of the town of L’Hay-les-Roses. “”My wife and one of my children were injured. It was an attempted murder of unspeakable cowardice,” he added.
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Over 45,000 cops, including specialised elite units, armoured vehicles and helicopters, patrolled the streets of three largest cities in France – Paris, Lyon and Marseille.
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Ten shopping malls, more than 200 supermarkets, 250 tobacco shops and 250 bank outlets were attacked or looted, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said. There were also reports that protesters set to fire a residential building in Grigny.
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719 people, most of them teenagers, were arrested during a fifth night of violence, officials said. Last night, France police had taken 1,300 people into custody.
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The unrest poses a political risk for French President Emmanuel Macron, who canceled a state visit to Germany that was supposed to start Sunday so he could deal with the domestic situation.
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Earlier in the week, Macron called on parents and social medial to help bring an end to the violence.
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The protests over the death of the teen, who was of Algerian origin, have again exposed the severe racial tensions in modern France, increasing scrutiny on the police, who have long been accused of singling out minorities. Nahel’s funeral ceremony was held on Saturday in Nanterre, where he lived, with hundreds gathering peacefully along with his mother and grandmother.
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In a rare intervention on a social issue, the French national football team, many of whose top players are of minority background, joined calls for an end to the clashes. “The time of violence must give way to that of mourning, dialogue and reconstruction,” the team said in a statement posted Friday on social media by captain and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe.
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