France riots: Mayor says rioters rammed into his house
Published July 2, 2023last updated July 2, 2023What you need to know
- The mayor of L'Hay-les-Roses outside Paris has accused rioters of ramming into his house, and injuring members of his family
- China has complained that rioters in Marseille broke the windows of a bus carrying Chinese tourists
- The French Interior Ministry say over 700 people were arrested overnight
- To catch up with our coverage of Saturday events in France amid the riots, click here
Read the latest DW coverage on riots in France on Sunday
This live updates story has now been closed. To follow up with our latest live coverage of the France riots, please click here.
French PM condemns attack on mayor's house
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne condemned the attack on the house of the mayor of a southern Paris suburb, describing it as "particularly shocking."
"We're going to do everything to bring order back as soon as possible," Borne said during a visit to l'Hay-les-Roses, where she met mayor Vincent Jeanbrun.
The local prosecutor announced opening an investigation into attempted murder.
Meanwhile, France's Association of Mayors (AMF) called for a protest in front of the town halls nationwide on Monday in solidarity with Jeanbrun, urging both mayors and citizens to join.
French President Emmanuel Macron is due to address the situation on Sunday evening. He is also planning on holding a special security meeting with Borne, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and the justice minister.
Switzerland's Lausanne sees youth protests prompted by France riots
Seven people were detained in the Swiss border city of Lausanne following protests seemingly prompted by the riots in France.
Swiss police made the arrests after demonstrators caused damage to businesses.
Over 100 youths gathered in the city late on Saturday. Those detained included six minors of various nationalities aged between 15 and 17. The protests came in response to several social media appeals linked to the situation in France, police said.
Protesters pelted security personnel with paving stones and a Molotov cocktail, destroying several shop windows and a shop door.
Tehran urges France to 'end violent treatment' of protesters
Iran has called on the French government to "end the violent treatment of its people" as protests against the death of 17-year-old Nahel drag on for a fifth day.
“As in the past, we advise the French government and police to take into account the demands of the protesters while exercising restraint and avoiding violence,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Twitter.
Kanaani also called on Iranian citizens to avoid "unnecessary trips" to France, advising Iranian nationals already in the European country to steer clear of "conflict areas."
Iranian authorities have for months cracked down on nationwide protests prompted by the death in custody of a Kurdish 22-year-old, Jina Mahsa Amini, after she was arrested for breaching the country's strict dress code for women. The EU has imposed sanctions on Iran over the clampdown.
French mayor accuses protesters of ramming a car into his home
A French mayor of a southern suburb of Paris has accused the rioters of ramming a car into his family home, injuring his spouse and one of his two young children.
Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun of L'Hay-les-Roses said the attackers also started a fire. The attacks took place while his family slept, he added.
"Last night a milestone was reached in horror and disgrace," he wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. "It was an attempted murder of unspeakable cowardice."
Jeanbrun said he was at the Town Hall at the time of the incident, in the early hours of Sunday, "as I had been for three nights."
China complains of tourist bus attack
Beijing has meanwhile complained to Paris about an attack on a bus carrying Chinese tourists in the southern city of Marseille, a flashpoint of the violence.
China's Consulate General in Marseille filed a formal complaint, saying rioters smashed the windows of the bus, causing minor injuries.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said the attack occurred on Thursday. The tourists have since left France, the consulate said.
The consulate called on Chinese nationals planning to visit France to exercise caution and vigilance.
Over 700 arrested overnight
Police arrested 719 people amid the riots overnight on Saturday, the French Interior Ministry said.
The ministry added that 45 police personnel, of some 45,000 deployed for days to control the violence, were injured. It did not provide a toll for the injured rioters.
The ministry saluted the security personnel's "resolute action," saying it has led to a "calmer night."
Protesters faced off with police last night in Paris's affluent shopping street Champs-Elysees, with hundreds of officers using batons and shields to guard the street's iconic boutiques.
Some 2,800 have been so far detained, since the riots which started over the police fatal shooting of a 17-year-old driver of Algerian roots at a traffic stop last Tuesday.
Why are people protesting in France?
The protests were sparked by the death of 17-year-old Nahel. The teenage driver was shot and killed by a police officer at close range at a traffic stop in the western Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday. He was of Algerian origin.
The teenager's death prompted unrest, clashes and arson attacks in several Paris suburbs on Tuesday night. The unrest expaned nationwide with nightly protests and riots often taking a violent turn.
Protesters aim to highlight the discrimination, and often violence, they say minorities in France face at the hands of the police.
French President Emmanuel Macron has described the shooting incident as "inexcusable" but has also spoken out against rioting and the violence. Law enforcement responded by deploying large police forces to major cities, and arresting thousands.
The 17-year-old Nahel was buried on Saturday, following a Muslim funeral in in Nanterre attended by friends, family and supporters of the protest movement who went to pay their respects.
Previously, his mother told France 5 TV that she was angry at the officer who killed her son but not at the police in general.
"He saw a little Arab-looking kid, he wanted to take his life," the mother said.
Nanterre Mayor Patrick Jarry said France needed to "push for changes'' in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
rmt/dj (AFP, AP, Reuters)