Violent protests over the murder of a young French man of Algerian origin by a police officer continued across France for the third night in a row.
The epicenter of the violent riots was in Paris, where rioters broke into shops, including luxury stores along Rue Rivoli in the heart of the French capital, and looted their contents. Schools, municipalities and buses were set on fire again.
More than 400 detained on third night of unrest in France // Credit: Reuters
Protests in France, photo: Reuters
Special riot police stationed in the area where the young man was murdered in the suburb of Nanterre were forced to retreat under a hail of stones, bottles, firecrackers and fireworks thrown at them by rioters. The reinforced police forces deployed throughout France and a partial curfew imposed on certain suburbs in the Paris area did not help calm the situation. During the night, at least 420 rioters were arrested.
Fires in France, photo: Reuters
The policeman accused of murdering the young man apologized to the victim's family. But even this apology did not prevent the violence from continuing. The victim's mother said she was not blaming the entire police but the policeman who shot her son: "He saw the face of a young Arab and wanted to take his life," the mother charged.
Nael's mother at the march, Photo: AP
Nantur police released details of the sequence of events that led to Nael's death. According to these details, Nael drove a Mercedes with Polish license plates on a route intended for buses only. Two policemen tried to arrest him twice. After he stopped at a red light, they approached the vehicle, and then, despite the driving ban, he began speeding.
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