After five days of violent protests in France in response to the shooting of teenager Nahel M during a traffic stop, the unrest seems to be calming down.
On Sunday night, over 150 people were taken into custody than the previous night of more than 700.
Many people have called for an end to the violence over the past few days, including members of Nahel’s family.
In order to protest the violence and looting, mayors have asked for a protest gathering outside town halls on Monday.
An association of the country’s mayors stated in a press release that “communes everywhere in France are the scene of serious unrest, which targets republican symbols with extreme violence”.
“We refuse to let our country succumb to chaos… Unfortunately, this situation does not come as a surprise, and for years France’s mayors have been sounding alarm bells over the degradation in our society,” the press release reads.
It also alludes to the weekend attack on the home of a suburban Paris mayor, during which rioters fired rockets at the official’s wife and children as they fled. The incident is being handled as a potential murder attempt.
Since the start of the unrest, rioters have attempted to set fire to and damaged numerous town halls throughout France.
The mayors of 220 townships affected by the violence will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.
A 24-year-old firefighter was killed on Sunday while attempting to put out a fire in several cars that had been set ablaze in an underground parking garage in Seine-Saint-Denis, north of Paris, according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.
The interior ministry stated that an investigation is ongoing to ascertain the circumstances of the fire, but a spokesperson for the Paris fire brigade told the media that there is currently “no formal link” between the fire and the violence that has shaken France.
For the third day in a row, approximately 45,000 officers were stationed all over the country.
However, Sunday night was much quieter, raising hopes that the unrest is abating.
The family of Nahel, the teen who was killed by police over the weekend, issued a calm request.
According to a relative of Nahel, the family did not want his passing to cause riots but insisted that the law regarding the use of lethal force during traffic stops needs to be changed.
And his grandmother urged the looters to stop vandalizing public property and accused them of using Nahel’s passing as justification.
Source-BBC
