INTERNATIONAL: Rampaging youths have seized upon the death of a teenager as a pretext to engage in criminal activities, according to the boy's grandmother.
In the aftermath of the tragic killing of a French-Algerian teenager by the police, the grandmother of the victim has made an emotional plea to the rioters, urging them to halt their spree of looting and destruction. Meanwhile, the nation braces itself for a sixth consecutive night of anarchy.
Speaking in a phone interview with BFMTV on Sunday, the woman, known as 'Nadia', implored those involved in the chaos, saying, "I say to the people who are breaking things: stop. Don't break windows, don't vandalize schools, don't destroy buses. Stop it, there are mothers on buses, there are mothers walking outside."
Nadia condemned the rioters for exploiting her grandson's death as an excuse to flout the law. She also expressed her belief that both the rioters and the police officer responsible for shooting the boy should face legal consequences.
Since Tuesday, France has been engulfed in violent protests and riots following the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old Franco-Algerian boy, identified as Nahel M., by police in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. The incident occurred when Nahel refused to comply with a traffic stop.
Despite the swift arrest and charging of the officer involved with homicide, the incident has sparked a wave of nationwide violence that has spilled over into Belgium and Switzerland.
Primarily instigated by young people from immigrant backgrounds, the unrest has escalated to the point where rioters used a vehicle to attack the home of Vincent Jeanbrun, the mayor of the Paris suburb of L'Hay-les-Roses, on Sunday. They even attempted to set the house ablaze with Jeanbrun's family inside.
Rioters have further targeted police officers with fireworks and Molotov cocktails, with some even brandishing military-grade firearms.
Despite the deployment of 45,000 police officers and over 2,800 arrests, the disturbances have persisted. However, there has been a decrease in the number of arrests, from 1,300 on Friday night to 719 on Saturday night, according to the French interior ministry.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin revealed that the average age of those arrested is 17.
On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron postponed a planned visit to Germany due to the ongoing violence. Meanwhile, several European countries, including the UK, have advised their citizens to avoid traveling to affected areas. Macron has faced criticism for his handling of the riots, with two major police unions urging him on Friday to take decisive action against the "violent minorities" wreaking havoc in the streets.
