UK and US issue France travel warning amid violent protests after police shoot teenager

Foreign Office also fears demonstration by Iranian opposition groups could be targeted by terrorists

A burnt out car and office building in Alma district of Roubaix, northern France, amid protests after police fatally shot a teenager in the Paris suburbs. AFP

The UK and other embassies have issued an urgent travel warning to people travelling to France, following days of protests in Paris and other parts of the country.

It follows three nights of rioting after a police officer shot dead a teenager on Tuesday, during a routine traffic stop in Nanterre, a western suburb of Paris.

More than 40,000 police have been deployed in several cities, with curfews issued in municipalities around Paris and bans on public gatherings in Lille and Tourcoing in the north of the country.

Despite the massive security deployment, violence and damage were reported in a number of areas.

Interior Ministry figures on Friday showed 875 people were arrested overnight, while 249 police officers were injured.

Nationwide, more than 490 buildings were damaged, 2,000 vehicles torched and 3,880 fires started.

On Friday, the UK Foreign Office issued a warning to people travelling to France.

“Since 27 June, protests have taken place in Paris and other locations across France. Some have turned violent,” said the Foreign Office.

“The protests may lead to disruptions to road travel or targeting of parked cars in areas where protests take place.

“You should monitor the media, avoid protests, check the latest advice with operators when travelling and follow the advice of the authorities.”

The Foreign Office also raised concerns about a rally by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a coalition that includes the People's Mujahedin Organisation of Iran group, which has been outlawed by Tehran.

The gathering had been banned by the police but was overturned on Friday after a court ruled the move was "a serious and manifestly illegal attack on the freedom to demonstrate".

Thousands of people from France and across Europe are expected to attend.

In 2018, police foiled a bomb plot at a rally by the group.

“A demonstration by the same group in Paris in June 2018 was the target of an attempted bomb attack," the UK's Foreign Office said.

"British nationals should reconsider any plans to attend such meetings, and if you do, be aware of your surroundings at all times, and move away quickly from disturbances.”

The US Embassy in France has also issued a warning.

"Following the June 27 police shooting in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre, demonstrations are taking place in the greater Paris region and other major urban centres with reports of damage to private property and public buildings," it said.

"These demonstrations, along with spontaneous protests, are expected to continue and may turn violent. US citizens should avoid mass gatherings and areas of significant police activity as they can turn violent and result in clashes. Some cities are imposing curfews.

"As always, it is a good practice to notify friends or family of your whereabouts. Note that public transportation is being affected."

The Saudi Embassy warned its citizens to avoid protests.

"The embassy would like to alert the honorable citizens who are currently in France to the demonstrations and clashes taking place in a number of suburbs of the capital, Paris, and other areas, and the declared curfew in several areas, and urges people to observe caution, and to stay away from places of protests, and to follow the instructions of the French authorities in this regard," it tweeted.

Norway has also taken steps to deter its nationals from travelling to France.

“There have been riots in several places in France in recent days, including Paris,” the Norwegian Foreign Ministry wrote in a text message to Norwegian travellers.

“Norwegian travellers are advised to take all necessary precautions, as well as to stay away from large crowds and demonstrations,” it said.

The Chinese Embassy in France issued a notice advising its citizens residing in or travelling to France to closely monitor the security situation in the country and the Irish Embassy warned people to be "cautious".

The French government has stopped short of declaring a state of emergency but Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Friday that this option is being considered.

President Emmanuel Macron left early from an EU summit in Brussels to return to Paris and hold an emergency security meeting on Friday.

The German government has said it is monitoring the unrest in France “with some concern” but that it was up to French authorities and the public there to tackle the issue.

The police officer accused of pulling the trigger has been given a preliminary charge of voluntary homicide, after prosecutor Pascal Prache said his initial investigation led him to conclude “the conditions for the legal use of the weapon were not met”.

Preliminary charges mean investigating magistrates strongly suspect wrongdoing but need to investigate more before sending a case to trial.

The shooting, captured on video, shocked France and stirred up long-simmering tensions between police and young people in housing projects and other disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

Mr Prache, the Nanterre prosecutor, said officers tried to stop the 17-year-old, identified only as Nahel M, because he looked so young and was driving a Mercedes with Polish licence plates in a bus lane.

Officers said he ran a red light to avoid being stopped and then got stuck in traffic.

The officer who fired the shot said he feared he and his colleague or someone else could be hit by the car as Nahel attempted to flee, according to Mr Prache.

On Friday, France's interior minister Gerald Darmanin announced that public transport would be halted from 9pm local time as part of a bundle of measures to ease tensions.

The French government has rejected accusations of racism by the UN.

"Any accusation of racism or systemic discrimination in the police force in France is totally unfounded," the foreign ministry said.

It comes after the UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said "we are concerned by the killing of a 17-year-old of North African descent by police in France on Tuesday".

"This is a moment for the country to seriously address the deep issues of racism and discrimination in law enforcement," she said at a media briefing in Geneva.