French President Emmanuel Macron is to meet on Tuesday with 220 mayors of towns that have witnessed riots that broke out since the death of the 17-year-old Nahel M. at the hands of a police officer, France24 reported citing a statement from the presidency.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on Sunday announced that 45,000 police and gendarmerie officers will be deployed across France for a third consecutive night, France24 reports.
The 17-year-old victim, identified only as Nahel M., was shot at point-blank range by a police officer on Tuesday morning in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. He was driving a yellow Mercedes when he was pulled over for traffic violations.
Police initially reported that he was shot after driving his car at police, but this was contradicted by a video that rapidly went viral across social media and was later authenticated by AFP. The footage shows the two policemen standing by the stationary car, with one pointing a weapon at the driver. A voice is heard saying, “You are going to get a bullet in the head.” The police officer then appears to fire as the car abruptly drives off before gradually coming to a stop.
The incident has sparked six nights of violent unrest in the capital and cities across France.
The interior ministry said police made 78 arrests nationwide Sunday, down significantly from 719 arrests the day before.
More than 3,000 people have been detained overall following a mass security deployment.
Hundreds of police and firefighters have been injured in the violence, although authorities haven’t said how many protesters have been hurt.
The home of the L’Haÿ-les-Roses mayor Vincent Jeanbrun was attacked on Sunday, in what French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne described as “particularly shocking” act and vowed to hold those guilty to account.
