France grapples with riot consequences – Last in 5 bullets Broken fingers and bruises – attack on Russian journalist in Chechnya

Relatively quiet night on Tuesday

At the moment, it seems that the riots in France are decreasing further. There were no major riots on Tuesday night. In Nanterre near Paris, where the 17-year-old teenager was shot dead by a police officer last Tuesday, things remained calm despite some property damage, BFMTV reported. There were 17 arrests in the Paris area. Again, about 45,000 police officers were deployed across the country to ensure peace.

Macron and Borne tried to calm down

President Emmanuel Macron will receive 200 to 300 mayors on Tuesday from cities and communities in Paris, where riots have been particularly violent. In addition to moral support, the president wants to help repair damaged town halls and other public facilities, the government said. On Monday evening, Macron visited a police station in Paris with Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin to support security forces.

Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne had previously discussed the crisis with the leaders of both parliamentary groups. The most important thing now is to restore calm to the country with a massive police presence and decisive action by the judiciary, Borne said.

Damage of “over a billion euros”

According to the employers’ organization Medef, the economic damage caused by the ongoing unrest in France is enormous. “It is still too early to give an exact figure, but we are at more than a billion euros without taking into account the damage to tourism,” says Medef boss Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux of the newspaper “Le Parisien “. More than 200 shops were completely looted, 300 bank branches were destroyed and 250 kiosks were damaged.

“The videos of the riots going around the world damage the image of France,” said the boss of the employer. “It’s always hard to say if the impact will be lasting, but there will definitely be a drop in bookings this summer, although the season is promising.” Some tourists have already canceled their stay.

Investigations against officials

The officer who shot the boy is suspected of manslaughter. France is a constitutional state and the police are also bound by laws, the government emphasized on Monday. However, the police have no systemic problems with racism or the reckless use of firearms.

In recent days in particular, she has shown professionalism and a sense of proportion – despite violent riots, neither rioters nor officials were killed. The youngster’s death is nevertheless tragic and understandably touches people’s minds. The government has so far failed to respond to calls for police reform.

The backgrounds

Since the death of 17-year-old Nahel by a police bullet during a traffic control, France has been rocked by violent riots. Conditions on the streets were sometimes chaotic, especially at night. There was repeated looting, arson and violent clashes between police officers and rioters.

According to government information, more than 3,400 people have been arrested in riots in recent days. 684 police officers and firefighters were injured. According to broadcaster BFMTV, those involved have already been sentenced in summary proceedings, including prison sentences with electronic ankle bracelets. (sda/dpa)