Tuesday 14 / January / 2025
Paris shortens bus and tram services
The IDFM, the regional authority responsible for public transport in the greater Paris region, has announced that bus and tram services in the French capital will shut down at 9:00 p.m. evening for the time being.
In a tweet, the IDFM said the measure was for the safety of employees and travelers.
Much of the unrest has taken place in the western Parisian suburb of Nanterre, where the police killed 17-year-old Nahel earlier this week.
UN urges France to address racism among police
The UN on Friday called on France to tackle racism in its security forces.
"We are concerned by the killing of a 17-year-old of North African descent by police in France... this is a moment for the country to seriously address the deep issues of racism and racial discrimination in law enforcement," Spokesperson for the UN High Commission for Human Rights Ravina Shamdasani said.
"We also emphasize the importance of peaceful assembly," she added. "We call on the authorities to ensure use of force by police to address violent elements in demonstrations always respects the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, non-discrimination, precaution and accountability."
France to review 'all options' to restore order — PM Borne
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said that a crisis meeting held with French President Emmanuel Macron today will review "all options" to restore order in the country.
"The priority is to ensure national unity and the way to do it is to restore order," Borne told journalists in Paris when asked about whether declaring a state of emergency is on the table.
A state of emergency would enable the French government to enact curfews and other broad measures such as no-go areas to quell the riots.
A state of emergency has only been declared six times since 1955, most recently after the 2015 acts of terrorism in Paris by the so-called "Islamic State" (IS). A state of emergency was also decreed in 2005 by President Jacques Chirac as the country reeled from nationwide unrest similar to the one that erupted this week.
Macron's government has earlier ruled out the move. Opposition figures, such as Eric Ciotti of the center-right Les Republicains, have demanded the measure as a means to restore stability.
As the violence persists, Macron's government is coming under stricter pressure to decree a rare state of emergency
Riots leave hundreds of French police officers injured
The French Ministry of Interior said Friday that 249 officers were injured after the third night of unrest.
Clashes between officers and the rioters occurred throughout the country. In the southern French city of Pau, for example, local officials said a police station was targeted by a Molotov cocktail.
Social media footage showed fires being lit in major cities overnight. In the western Parisian suburb of Nanterre where the police killing occurred, rioters launched projectiles at officers.
Across the country, 40,000 members of law enforcement were deployed.
Riots reach Belgium
The outrage over the killing of the teenager in France has also extended to neighboring Belgium.
On late Thursday, Belgian police said that 30 people were taken into custody amid the unrest. Much of the disorder occurred in the Anneessens district in the capital, Brussels.
Police-related racial violence is also a sensitive issue in Belgium, as in France
Like France, Belgium also has a large population of people from the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa. Police-related racial violence is a pertinent issue in Belgium, with the death of a 23-year-old Black man in police custody sparking controversy in 2021.
Macron to hold emergency talks after unrest
President Emmanuel Macron will be holding crisis talks on Friday following a third night of unrest.
Macron has been attending the European Union leaders summit in Brussels but will be cutting the trip short to chair the emergency meeting at 1:00 p.m. (1100 UTC/GMT)
Macron has condemned the killing of the 17-year-old which sparked the unrest, but has also spoken out against rioting. Other major French leaders, such as Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, have urged calm.
France arrests 667 people after third night of riots — interior minister
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced a new wave of arrests on Friday, after the third night of riots caused by the police killing of a teenager.
"Last night, our police, gendarmes, and firefighters again courageously confronted rare violence. In line with my firm instructions, they made 667 arrests," Darmanin tweeted early Friday.
The riots began on Tuesday, after video footage showed 17-year-old Nahel being shot by police at a traffic stop in the working-class suburb of Nanterre. Nahel was of Algerian descent.
The killing has sparked anger among those in France who feel there is systemic racism by the police and the judicial system towards ethnic groups such as Arabs and Blacks. The 38-year-old officer behind Nahel's killing was arrested and is facing voluntary manslaughter charges.
French authorites have deployed tens of thousands of police and gendarmes to maintain security in Paris and other major cities such as Marseille.
