More than 40,000 police officers have been deployed in cities across France as fresh riots broke out over the shooting of a teenage driver by a policeman.
Smoke billowed from cars and rubbish was set ablaze in the Paris suburb of Nanterre following a peaceful afternoon march in honour of the teenager identified only by his first name, Nahel.
Bus and tram services in the Paris area were shutting down before sunset as a precaution to safeguard transportation workers and passengers.
In Marseille, several hundred young people were seen roaming the city centre on Thursday evening and setting fire to rubbish containers. One officer was taken to hospital after being injured by projectiles thrown by protesters, according to Le Monde.
The newspaper said that fires had also been set by protesters in the south western city of Toulouse, though no arrests have been made.
The unrest extended even to Brussels, where about a dozen people were detained during scuffles related to the shooting. Police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere said several fires were brought under control, and that at least one car was burned.
Florian M., a 38-year-old officer, has been remanded in custody facing a murder charge after shooting a 17-year-old boy on Tuesday.
The killing has sparked riots across France, with the suspect claiming he shot the teenager because he “appeared to be dangerous”.
Police were bracing for a third night of disorder on Thursday, with more than 5,000 officers mobilised on the streets of Paris.
The town of Clamart, home to 54,000 people in the French capital’s south-west suburbs, said it would put an overnight curfew in place from Thursday through to Monday, citing “the risk of new public order disturbances”.
Interior minister Gerald Darmanin said officers made more than 180 arrests before Thursday and that there would “doubtless” be more.
Nahel M., a 17-year-old French Algerian, has been named as the victim of the shooting, which took place during a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
Florian has since told prosecutors that he saw a yellow Mercedes-AMG sports car with a Polish number plate being “driven at high speed in a bus lane” by Nahel, who was with two passengers.
“In view of his behavior and the apparent young age of the occupants, I decided to follow , so as to carry out a check,” said Florian, a police motorcyclist.
“During the journey, the driver was responsible for several traffic violations,” said Florian.
When Florian and a colleague got off their bikes to confront Nahel, after he stopped, they took out their service pistols.
“We pointed them at the driver to dissuade him from restarting,” said Florian, admitting that he fired once, “as the car moved forward”.
Asked why he had opened fire, Florian said “because the driver appeared to be dangerous.”
Florian said that both he and his colleague – another motorcycle officer – “were afraid of being hit by the vehicle”.
Florian’s testament was read out by Pascal Prache, the Nanterre prosecutor, during a press conference on Thursday morning.
He confirmed that evidence includes a video of the shooting, in which Florian is heard to say, “I’ll place a bullet in your head,” before opening fire.
Mr Prache said “the legal conditions for the use of the weapon were not justified,” and that Florian should remain in custody as he faced a murder charge.
The prosecutor said Nahel, who was ‘known to police’ for previous traffic violations, ‘died as a result of the policeman’s shooting’.
Searches of the car – which crashed after Nahel was shot – did not reveal any drugs, alcohol, or weapons, said Mr Prache.
Police arrested 150 people across France during a second night of rioting and arson attacks following the fatal shooting.
Town halls and schools were among the buildings put to the torch between Wednesday and Thursday.
Gerald Darmanin, France’s Interior Minister called it “a night of unbearable violence against symbols of the republic.”
In a tweet posted on Thursday he added: “Town halls, schools and police stations set on fire or attacked. 150 arrests.
“Support for the police, gendarmes and firefighters who face up with courage. Shame on those who did not call for calm.”
