In France, 150 protesters were arrested overnight, which escalated into riots and clashes with police. According to France 24, President Emmanuel Macron has scheduled an emergency meeting for the morning of June 29.
The cause of the protests was the death of 17-year-old Nael M., who was shot dead by police on June 27 in the Hauts-de-Seine suburb of Paris. A police patrol stopped a yellow Mercedes driven by a young man believed to be of Algerian origin for violating traffic rules. In a video that has circulated on social media and has been verified by AFP, two policemen are seen standing by the yellow car, one of whom points a weapon at the driver. Then the car pulls away sharply, and the policeman shoots.
“The teenager was killed. This is inexplicable and inexcusable,” Macron said the day before. The police officer who allegedly shot the youth has been arrested on charges of manslaughter.
The death of Nael M. led to marches against police violence, which continue for the second night in a row. Protesters set fire to garbage and cars and pelt bottles and fireworks at police officers who try to disperse them. Mass protests began in the suburbs and working-class districts of Paris, and then they were picked up in cities across the country, including Toulouse, Dijon and Lyon. From some regions, there are reports of shops being looted and set on fire.
“We are sick and tired of being treated this way,” several protesters told France 24. One of them added that his family has been living in France for three generations, but "they will never accept us."
It is noted that last year 13 people were killed during checks on the roads. In 2017, France changed the law so that the police received more powers to use weapons.