Teen Shot By Police Buried As France Chaos Enters Day 6, Macron Cancels 2-Day Germany Visit – Details

French President Emmanuel Macron cancelled his two-day visit to Germany as France battles one of its worst-ever crises after the killing of a teenage boy by police.

Unrest continues to persist in the French city of Marseille as the country breaks into chaos for the fifth straight night after the killing of a teen by police at point-blank range. The Guardian reported that President Emmanuel Macron cancelled his two-day planned trip to Germany amid intensifying clashes. This came after Macron faced criticism for attending an Elton John concert in Paris on Wednesday while the country burned.

On Saturday, the government held another crisis meeting after four days of increasing violence and looting that has seen official and private buildings targeted along with buses, trams, sports and leisure centres and schools, the report added.

Over 1,300 people were arrested on Friday night and early Saturday morning after more than 230 buildings, including town halls, and 1,350 vehicles were set alight, according to France’s interior ministry, The Guardian said, The ministry added that the average age of those taken into custody was 17. Some were as young as 13, it further said.

Nahel Merzouk Buried In Private Funeral

Meanwhile, the 17-year-old boy shot dead by a police officer was laid to rest on Saturday. The Guardian stated that friends and family attended a private funeral at Nanterre, where Nahel Merzouk was killed on Tuesday after being stopped by two motorcycle patrol police.

A large crowd gathered outside the local mosque and followed the coffin to the cemetery. They chanted “Justice for Nahel”. Lawyers for relatives asked journalists to stay away from the ceremony, saying it was “a day for Nahel’s family” to mourn “with discretion”.

This all happened as the French government braced for further protests after the worst violence for 18 years, The Guardian mentioned.

Protests Intensify In France

Videos on social media show police using tear gas, as officials say at least 56 arrests have been made in the southern city, stated a BBC report. 

In Marseille, heavy clashes have been taking place between police and rioters throughout Saturday evening. The videos also show the clashes taking place on La Canebière, the main avenue in the heart of Marseille.

Local media reported that fighting has been taking place between a large group of rioters and officers in the area for more than an hour, BBC mentioned.

A 38-year-old police officer has been officially put under investigation – the equivalent in France of being charged – for voluntary homicide.

However, two of the country’s biggest police unions, Alliance and Unsa, issued an inflammatory statement describing protesters as “savage hordes” and “pests”, and warning the government: “Today the police are in combat because we are at war. Tomorrow we will be in resistance”, the Guardian quoted them as saying.

Officials React To Increasing Arson

According to the Guardian, an Elysée spokesperson denied that the shooting was racially motivated, saying “nothing indicated” the police officer had opened fire “because the victim was foreign”.

BBC mentioned that French PM Elisabeth Borne attended the command room of the national police in Paris to observe efforts at maintaining order.

On Friday, the office of the UN high commissioner for human rights (OHCHR) criticised French policing, saying the shooting was a “moment for the country to seriously address the deep issues of racism and racial discrimination in law enforcement”.

On Saturday, the justice minister, Éric Dupond-Moretti, said legal moves would be taken to force social media platforms to hand over details of those arranging the pillaging of property, with the threat of possible sanctions if they refused.

“Young people have to know we will find these accounts. This cannot go on. If you call on your friends to take part in smashing something up, that’s potentially a criminal association. If you are present at a ransacking, even if you’re not actually doing anything wrong, you are potentially taking part in a criminal association and encouraging others,” Dupond-Moretti said.

“I say to 13-17-year-olds, stay at home, and if you put things on Snapchat to organise looting you will be traced and punished," he appealed, adding "Parents need to control their kids … it’s not for the state to raise their children."

Notably, BBC reported, Nahel’s death was the third fatal shooting by police during traffic stops in France in 2023, and the 21st since 2020. Most of the victims have been of black or north African origin.

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