French riots: Police reinforcements deployed after funeral held for slain teenager

President postpones state visit to Germany as cities across France brace for more disorder

Riot police secure the area in front of the Arc de Triomphe amid fears of another night of clashes with protestors in Paris. EPA

France braced itself for a fifth night of unrest, as reinforcements and riot police were sent out and curfews imposed across major cities.

The measures came as French President Emmanuel Macron postponed a state visit to Germany on Sunday because of the unrest, triggered by the police killing of a teenager in a Paris suburb on Tuesday.

Mr Macron has faced called to declare a state of emergency, after more than 1,300 people were arrested and 45,000 police were on the streets in the fourth night of rioting on Friday, when there was widespread looting and arson.

At midnight, while there was some tension in central Paris and sporadic clashes in the Mediterranean city of Marseille, the situation appeared calmer across the country

Police deployed tear gas against rioters in Marseille's main high street around dusk on Saturday. Television images showed there was violence, some pillaging and street battles between police and groups of youths going into the evening.

In Paris, police increased security at the city's landmark Champs Elysees avenue after a call on social media to gather there.

The street, usually packed with tourists, was lined with security forces carrying out spot checks.

Police said about 120 people had been arrested nationwide on Saturday, fewer than on the previous nights.

French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti told French news channel BFMTV that 30 per cent of the protesters were minors and threatened to “break” the social media accounts of users inciting violence.

People wait next to the entrance of Mont Valerien cemetery, where Nahel was laid to rest in Nanterre. EPA

The funeral of the French teenager, Nahel M, took place in Nanterre, in north-west of Paris on Saturday. This was where Nahel lived and was shot dead on Tuesday. He was buried at the Mont Valerien cemetery after prayers at Ibn Badis mosque.

The service was private and lawyers for Nahel’s mother asked the media to stay away.

It finished at 5.30pm local time and was marked by "reflection and without incidents", a witness said.

Nahel was fatally shot after being stopped by police for driving a car in the bus lane. His death has prompted the worst riots in France since 2005, when two boys of African origin were killed in a police chase.

Mr Macron described Nahel’s death as “inexplicable and unforgivable”.

Nahel's body was taken from the funeral home on Saturday morning by his family to the mosque, in a scene which French news outlet France24 described as “calm but tense”.

There was a large police presence on the streets of the French capital.

“Everyone is gathered here, his close friends, his family and the imams who will organise the prayers in homage to Nahel,” said Ethan Hajji for France24.

A woman from Nanterre said she had come to support Nahel's mother. “Peace be on his soul, may justice be served. I came to support the mother, she had only him, poor woman,” she told AFP as she came out of the funeral home.

The Ibn Badis Institute said it expected “exceptional crowds” to turn up for the funeral.

A person walks near the remains of a burnt out car following a night of looting and rioting in Montreuil, near Paris, July 1, 2023. EPA / Julien Mattia

Early on Saturday, firefighters in Nanterre extinguished blazes set by protesters that left scorched remains of cars strewn across the streets. In the neighbouring suburb of Colombes, protesters overturned bins and used them as makeshift barricades.

The violence was spread across the country.

Looters broke into a gun shop and took weapons in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, police said. Officers there arrested about 90 people as groups of protesters set cars on fire, broke shop windows and began looting.

Buildings and businesses were also vandalised in the eastern city of Lyon, where a third of the roughly 30 arrests made were for theft, police said. Authorities reported fires in the streets after an unauthorised protest drew more than 1,000 people earlier on Friday evening.

A damaged shop following in Montreuil, near Paris. EPA / Julien Mattia

The Interior Ministry said 1,311 arrests were made during the night, with more than 2,500 incidents of fire in public spaces. The night before, 917 people were arrested nationwide, 500 buildings attacked, 2,000 vehicles burnt and dozens of stores ransacked.

A third witness to Nahel's shooting revealed on Friday that he fled the scene out of “fear” of being shot, as Nahel “trembled” in pain.

According an online video published by the witness, which has been verified by French media, two police officers hit Nahel several times with the butt of their gun, causing his foot to slip from the brake pedal.

The witness, who was in the car with Nahel at the time of the shooting, is expected to submit his testimony to the police on Monday.

Meanwhile a number of countries have sent messages of goodwill to the French government and people during the turmoil.

On Saturday the UAE expressed its “full solidarity with the French Republic”. It stressed “the importance of restoring calm, de-escalation, and respect for the rules and principles of law in France”.