French government limits public life after riots Baerbock demands clear withdrawal mandate for UN Minusma mission in Mali

With restrictions on public life, the government in France wants to curb serious riots after the death of a young person by a police shot. According to the instructions of Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, local bus and tram transport across the country must be stopped at 9 p.m. Friday evening, broadcaster BFMTV reports. Major events such as concerts have been canceled and selling and taking fireworks and flammable substances is prohibited. However, the government has not yet declared a national emergency.

After the third night of unrest across France, President Emmanuel Macron on Friday appealed to parents to be responsible. They should discourage their teenage children from participating in riots. The president also blamed social networks for the escalation of violence in recent days. Violent rallies were organized there. He also feels that some young people are imitating video games on the street. Macron announced that the authorities will take action against people who use social networks to incite riots.

Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne had previously announced that she would examine “all hypotheses” to quickly return to “republican order” – she had not ruled out the declaration of a nationwide emergency. However, the French government initially decided to strengthen the back of the emergency services and to provide the Ministry of the Interior with “extra resources”. What that means in concrete terms was initially unclear.

The riots were triggered by the death of a teenager. A motorcycle patrol in Nanterre near Paris arrested 17-year-old Nahel behind the wheel of a car on Tuesday morning. When the young man suddenly drove away, a fatal shot was fired from the police officer’s service weapon. A preliminary manslaughter investigation was initiated against the officer and he was taken into custody. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the use of the weapon during the check was not justified.

Since then, France has been rocked by violent unrest. In the Greater Paris region and other cities, there were riots from Thursday to Friday for the third night in a row. Nearly 2,000 cars went up in flames and about 500 public buildings such as police stations and city halls were set on fire and police officers were attacked with fireworks. According to the Interior Ministry, several hundred people were arrested and more than 200 police officers were injured. Across the country, 40,000 police officers were present overnight to counter the riots, 5,000 of them in Paris.

It is unclear whether Macron will cancel his state visit to Germany scheduled for next week. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said he had no information about this at the moment. The federal government views current events in France with a “certain concern”.

Given the unrest, the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva called on French police to tackle racism within their own ranks. “Now is the time for the country to seriously address the deep problems of racism and discrimination in law enforcement,” a spokeswoman said in Geneva on Friday. The Paris Foreign Ministry rejected the allegation. “All allegations that the police in France practice systematic racism or discrimination are completely baseless,” the ministry said. “France and its law enforcement agencies resolutely fight against racism and all forms of discrimination.” (sda/dpa)