Over the weekend, rioters in suburban Paris attacked the home of a mayor, firing rockets at the official’s fleeing wife and children. The authorities are treating this shocking incident as a case of attempted murder.
Throughout the period of unrest, numerous town halls in France have been subjected to vandalism and arson attempts, as rioters continue to escalate their actions against public institutions
Sunday night witnessed a marked decrease in the recorded incidents when compared with the previous week.
A sharp decrease in car fires was observed last night, with only 297 incidents, as opposed to Thursday’s alarming count of 1,900. Furthermore, 34 buildings were damaged or set ablaze, significantly lower than the 500+ incidents reported on Thursday.
In an effort to address the aftermath of the violence, French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with the mayors of 220 affected municipal areas on Tuesday.
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Sadly, a young firefighter lost his life on Sunday while attempting to extinguish a number of cars set alight in an underground car park in Seine-Saint-Denis, north of Paris, as reported by Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.
According to a spokesperson from the Paris fire brigade, there is currently no established connection with the violence that has recently shaken France. However, the interior ministry has confirmed that an investigation is underway to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the fire.
About 45,000 officers were deployed across the country for the third day running. However, there are hopes that the unrest is subsiding, as Sunday was a much quieter night.
The family of Nahel, the teenager who tragically lost his life at the hands of law enforcement, called for calm over the weekend. While expressing their intention to prevent any outbreak of riots, a family member insisted on the urgency of revisiting the laws regarding the use of lethal force during traffic stops.
Strongly condemning the actions of the rioters, Nahel’s grandmother accused them of opportunistically exploiting his death as an excuse for vandalism. She urged them to refrain from their wanton destruction of public property.
With a heavy heart, Nahel’s grandmother revealed her emotional distress upon hearing about the GoFundMe initiative dedicated to assisting the family of the police officer who was responsible for Nahel’s tragic shooting. As of Monday, the campaign had amassed a staggering sum of over €923,000 (£792,880).