France reaches 3,200 arrests in recent days of unrest
The French Interior Ministry has already registered 3,200 arrests during the protests unleashed last Tuesday following the death of a teenager at a police checkpoint, a figure that already reaches that of the massive protests of 2005, also following the death of two young people, except that now this figure has been reached in just six days instead of three weeks.
Nahel's death by police gunshot has led to daily riots in several cities in France. Although the night from Sunday to Monday was relatively calmer, with just over 150 arrests, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed that an "unprecedented" level of arrests has now been reached.
Of the 3,200 people arrested, "60%" have no police record "and have never been subject to any control". In terms of age, the average age is around 17, with cases of minors as young as twelve or thirteen linked to arson, attacks on security forces or public institutions.
In the five nights of protests, the government has counted 5,000 vehicles and 10,000 rubbish bins set on fire, 1,000 buildings damaged, 250 attacks on police stations and more than 700 police or gendarmes injured.
Darmanin has promised that the authorities will remain "highly mobilised" to "restore order", a commitment made repeatedly in recent days by the authorities in the face of actions that, in the words of the president, Emmanuel Macron, are "unjustifiable". The security arrangements of the last few days have seen the deployment of 45,000 police and gendarmes.
Also on Monday, rallies in support of the mayor of L'Hay-Les Roses, Vincent Jeanbrun, whose house was hit by a burning car on Saturday, took place in several French cities, including Paris. The capital's mayor, Anne Hidalgo, has called for "an explosion of respect" as a counterweight to the violence, reports Franceinfo.
The third occupant
Meanwhile, the officer who fired the shot that killed Nahel, and whose actions have been questioned by the authorities, remains in custody on suspicion of manslaughter.
Nahel was travelling in a vehicle with two other people, but it was not until Monday that the third of the occupants reappeared. This person, whose identity has not been revealed, has appeared before the General Inspectorate of the National Prosecutor's Office (IGPN) to testify as a witness to what happened, according to judicial sources quoted by Le Figaro.