As the third night of demonstrations rocked France after the deadly police shooting of a young boy was caught on camera, more than 400 people were detained throughout the nation on Thursday, June 29.
To assist in suppressing the unrest, the RAID, France's elite police squad, was sent to the towns of Bordeaux, Lyon, Roubaix, Marseille, and Lille.
Riots Continue for Third Consecutive Night
Protesters and police officers clashed in the southern port city of Marseille and the Paris district of Nanterre, where a 17-year-old named Nahel was slain days earlier.
Video from the neighborhood shows a wall covered with burning rubble and the words "vengeance pour Nael" (revenge for Nael) spray painted on it.
Photos from the site show that a bank in Nanterre was set on fire during the memorial march. The police have detained 15 persons in connection with the incident.
Footage from the northern city of Lille showed flames blazing on streets and rushing riot police personnel, while BFMTV media said that protesters in Marseille tossed fireworks at police officers. The regional office of Lille claimed in a Facebook post that six persons were detained for interrogation after taking part in an illegal demonstration.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told BFMTV (via CNN) that at least 421 people were taken into custody in rallies around the country on Thursday night and the next morning. According to the Paris police, more than half of those arrests happened in the Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, and Val-de-Marne departments in the Paris area.
Darmanin previously said that police had been ordered to "intervene systematically" and voiced his admiration for the police and firemen who are doing a courageous job.
President Emmanuel Macron will reportedly attend a crisis meeting for a second consecutive day on Friday, June 30, in light of the violence that occurred on Thursday night.
Also Read : WATCH: France Protests Flare Up, 77 Arrested as Nael M's Death Sparks Fury in Parisian Suburbs
Police Shooting of Teenager Leads to Unrest
Hours after Nahel was killed by police during a traffic check in Nanterre on Tuesday, June 27, protests erupted in the area. French officials said that 24 police officers were hurt and 40 vehicles were destroyed during the turbulent night.
According to BFMTV's Thursday report, the police officer has been placed on preliminary arrest and is formally being investigated for voluntary homicide.
Nahel's mother organized a march in Nanterre in his honor, which was attended by as many as 6,000 people.
Many people were wearing T-shirts that said "Justice for Nahel," while others were chanting the phrase. On their signs, several protesters said, "The police kill."
Concerns have been voiced that Nahel's murder may provoke riots on a scale not seen since 2005 when the deaths of two adolescent boys fleeing from police caused three weeks of unrest and led to a state of emergency being declared by the government.
