France is dealing with a fifth consecutive night of protests, with over 700 protestors arrested following the police shooting of a 17-year-old.

Clashes and chaos: Protests and violence involving mostly young men and tens of thousands of police officers have spread to city centers, suburbs, and small towns across France, following the death of 17-year-old Nahel M.
* The most notable confrontations took place in France’s largest cities, Paris and Marseille, even extending into iconic locations like Marseille’s old port.
* Demonstrations involved “cat and mouse-like” running battles with riot police, and have even led to tourists witnessing stand-offs between protestors as young as 14 and law enforcement.

The government response: President Emmanuel Macron quickly condemned the shooting of the teenager of Algerian descent, calling it “inexplicable”.
* However, Macron also called upon parents to retain responsibility for their participating teenagers, many of whom have been involved in the protests without their family’s knowledge.
* Despite the hundreds of arrests, officials have stated that the rioting has been somewhat more subdued than on Friday night.

Tactics and repercussions: Law enforcement, in an attempt to manage the protests, has used vans to block off streets, discharged tear gas to disperse crowds, and employed helicopters to monitor crowd movements.
* Instances of severe violence have been reported, including a case of attempted murder after the local mayor’s home in L’Hay-les-Roses was attacked with a vehicle and set on fire, injuring the mayor’s wife and child.
* The ongoing civil unrest has also resulted in damage to town halls, schools, police buildings, and hundreds of stores.

Underlying issues: The protests reflect ongoing concerns over police violence and perceived discrimination along ethnic, racial, and socio-economic lines, prevalent among minority communities in France.
* Even though more than a decade has passed since riots of this magnitude last occurred, the intensity of the response to the teenager’s death appears to have caught authorities off guard.

View original article on NPR

This summary was created by an AI system. The use of this summary is subject to our Terms of Service.