Unrest Across France Slows, But Discriminatory Anger Remains

Amid the unrest, there have been small demonstrations in favour of the police, including a march Sunday in Paris where a few dozen people marched with French flags. The unrest across France sparked by the police shooting of a 17-year-old in Nanterre last Tuesday appeared to slow on its sixth night, but public buildings, cars, and municipal trash cans were still targeted by fires and vandalism.

According to the Interior Ministry, there were 157 arrests overnight, out of a total of 3,354 arrests since the incident. Two law enforcement stations were attacked, and 297 vehicles and 34 buildings were set on fire.

A 24-year-old firefighter died of a heart attack while responding to a blaze in an underground garage, and a burning car also struck the home of the mayor of the Paris suburb L’Hay-les-Roses.

French President Emmanuel Macron has claimed that social media is to blame for the spread of the unrest, while Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti has warned that parents who neglect their responsibility for their teenagers will be prosecuted.

Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun has criticised the government for its late response and argued that the unrest is the result of a larger problem. He noted that explosives have been going off all summer long, and many people feel powerless in the face of it.

In response, there have been small demonstrations in favour of the police, including a march on Sunday in Paris where a few dozen people marched with French flags. It remains to be seen whether the unrest will continue or if it is definitively easing.