French prosecutors are investigating the death of a Marseille rioter amid days-long protests over the fatal shooting of a teenager by a police officer.
The recent fatality was identified to be a 27-year-old man who was struck by a projectile during the riots in the area. Officials said that the likely cause of death was a violent shock to the chest resulting from a "flash-ball" projectile that was used by riot police, but they did not specify what type of gun was used or who shot it.
French Man Dies After Being Struck by Flash-Ball Projectile
Flash-balls are considered to be "less lethal" projectiles that are made of rubber or condensed foam that riot police use during crowd-control measures. The impact on the victim's chest caused cardiac arrest and sudden death.
Prosecutors argued that it was not possible to determine where the man was when he was struck by the projectile or whether or not he had even taken part in the riots. The city was engulfed in riots and looting following the funeral of a teenager who was killed by police on June 27 during a traffic stop, as per Aljazeera.
The victim was identified to be Nahel M, who was of North African descent, and the incident resulted in nationwide unrest. It also reignited long-standing accusations among Black and North African-origin communities of systemic racism among security forces, discrimination, and poor public services.
Law enforcement personnel fired tear gas and fought street battles with mostly young people around the city centre on Saturday. Flash-ball guns were designed to be non-lethal riot control weapons that are not capable of penetrating a person's skin.
However, their use by police in France is disputed as the projectiles have previously resulted in the loss of eyes, head injuries, and other trauma, according to Reuters. On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron met with hundreds of officials to discuss the "deeper reasons" for the nation's plunge into riots, which were seen to be the biggest in the nation's multi-ethnic high-rise estates in the last two decades.
French Protests
On the other hand, the country's Interior Minister said that France has seen a quieter night of protests compared to previous nights. Officials reported fewer arrests, 719, as the worst clashes between protesters and law enforcement personnel in the southern city of Marseille.
Attackers in the Paris suburb L'Haÿ-les-Roses rammed a car into the house of the mayor, causing injuries to the official's wife as she tried to flee with her two children. In a Twitter post, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin praised police for their "resolute action" which resulted in a "calmer night."
On Saturday, there were roughly 45,000 police who were deployed across the nation for a second night. On Friday night, there were over 1,300 arrests made, an increase from the previous day which was reported to be roughly 900.
French officials are hoping that they have reached a turning point in the chaos, which is where rioters are losing energy because of the security crackdown as well as the massive unpopularity of their exactions, said BBC.
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