World

Strange battlefield-like scenes from French riots emerge on social media

July 1, 2023
Saqafy Times

Riots across France have reached unprecedented levels of vandalism, arson and violence.

Paris/New Delhi:

Riots across France have reached unprecedented levels of vandalism, arson and violence. France has deployed 45,000 police officers with lightly armored vehicles to deal with violent protests for the fourth night in a row.

Protests across the country are the result of the fatal police shooting of a teenager.

Crack police units and other security forces have been deployed across the country to quell violence and riots following Tuesday’s shooting at a traffic stop in a Paris suburb.

Malls and showrooms have been looted. There has been vandalism and arson in the streets and rioters have reportedly looted armories and video footage of armed rioters has emerged on social media. NDTV cannot verify the authenticity of these videos, but most have been shared by verified social media handles.

French President Emmanuel Macron has returned from the European Union summit and chaired a top-level crisis meeting.

The killing of 17-year-old Nahel sparked unrest that revived long-standing grievances about policing and racial profiling in France’s low-income and multi-ethnic suburbs.

He will be buried in a ceremony on Saturday, according to the mayor of Nanterre – the Paris suburb where he lived and was killed.

Here are some of the shocking visuals that have emerged on social media:

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told TF1 television that the 45,000 officers deployed on Friday included crack units from both police and paramilitary forces.

This can be compared to 40,000 the previous night, according to government figures, when the police force failed to prevent 492 structures damaged, 2,000 vehicles burnt and 3,880 fires started across the country.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne also announced the cancellation of large-scale events – such as concerts – across the country.

Buses and trams targeted in violence over the past few nights were closed at 9:00 pm (1900 GMT) and the sale of large firecrackers and flammable liquids has been banned.

The Paris region’s bus and tram lines remained “severely disrupted” on Friday, with a dozen vehicles set on fire overnight at a depot and some routes blocked or damaged, the RATP transport operator said.

Broad daylight looting broke out on Friday in the eastern city of Strasbourg, where rioters targeted an Apple store and other shops.

Curfews were imposed in at least three cities in the Paris region and several other cities in the country.

,Disclaimer: NDTV cannot verify the authenticity of these videos, but most have been shared by verified social media handles),

(Inputs from AFP)