The tragic shooting of Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old boy, by a police officer in France has ignited a firestorm of protests and widespread civil unrest. Nahel’s mother, Mounia, laid the blame solely on the officer in an interview with France 5 on Friday. However, the incident has sparked vigorous debates over potential racial bias in the teenager’s death.
BFMTV, CNN’s affiliate, reported ongoing demonstrations and outbreaks of rioting in several cities well into Saturday morning, despite a ban on “large-scale events” imposed the previous day.
The Interior Ministry of France updated its earlier figures on Saturday, revealing that 1,311 individuals had been arrested during the fourth consecutive night of violence. The ministry reported 2,560 fires on public roads, 1,350 burned cars, and 234 incidents of damage or fire in buildings.
Friday night’s confrontations led to injuries of 79 police and gendarmes, with 58 assaults reported on police and gendarme stations. The ministry also disclosed that two officers in Vaulx-en-Velin, a suburb of Lyon, had sustained gunshot wounds.
Videos circulating on social media revealed scenes of intense conflict in Lyon, with images of rapid automatic gunfire, fireworks launched at protests, and participants standing beside blazing fires.
In an attempt to quell the spiralling unrest, the Interior Ministry announced its plan to dispatch its elite riot police unit, CRS 8, to Lyon on Saturday night.
French Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, revealed in a press conference on Saturday that over 700 businesses across France have suffered damage since the start of the protests.
