Crowds gather outside French town halls to denounce violence following police shooting
Crowds gathered at town halls across France on Monday in support of a mayor whose home was attacked during violence that has broken out across the country after the fatal police shooting last week of a young motorist.
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Elected officials, city employees, and citizens gathered in small groups throughout France Monday in support of Vincent Jeanbrun, mayor of L'Haÿ-les-Roses and his family, whose home was violently attacked Saturday night by a mob.
He was absent at the time of the attack, but his wife was injured while fleeing with their two young children.
Some 100 people gathered in Nanterre, where the police shooting took place; 200 people gathered in Toulouse, 300 in Brest, Mons-en-Baroeul, and other places.
"Since last Tuesday, the nights have been difficult for the residents... the successive acts of violence are unacceptable," said Patrick Jarry, Mayor of Nanterre. “Now is the time for calm.”
Hours after the attack on Jeanbrun's home, the Association of Mayors of France (AMF) called for the "return to republican order".
The association said "serious disturbances" damaged and destroyed “symbols of the Republic” such as city halls, schools, libraries, and police stations using “extreme violence”.
Nightly violence has occurred since 27 June, the day Nahel, a 17-year-old, was killed point-blank by a police officer fired by a police officer during a traffic stop. The scene was captured on amateur video.
A passenger in the car driven by Nahel who had fled during the incident, turned himself in on Monday and was questioned by the police, a source told French Press Agency AFP.
Official visits postponed
French President Emmanuel Macron canceled a visit to Germany over the weekend, and instead met with presidents of both houses of parliament on Monday.
On Tuesday he will meet with mayors of over 220 municipalities, which have been impacted by the rioting.
According to the Elysée, Macron wishes to “deeply understand the reasons that led to these events" that involve very young adolescents.
According to authorities, the average age of those arrested is 17, with some not older than 12.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne met with parliamentarians of all political parties on Monday afternoon.
Speaking after the violent attack on Jeanbrun's home, she promised that the government would “not tolerate any violence” and warned of tough sanctions for offenders.
Call for calm
On Sunday, Nahel's grandmother Nadia, had also asked for calm, urging the rioters not to break shop windows, schools or busses.
But she also wanted the police officer who had shot and killed her grandson to be held accountable “like everyone else”, saying she had “trust in the justice system”.
The officer has been charged with voluntary manslaughter and taken into custody.
Meanwhile, Jean Messiha, a former spokesperson for extreme right politician Eric Zemmour's presidential campaign had raised over €1 million in an online fundraiser to support the police officer "who did his job and is now paying a high price", after his home address was leaked on social media.
The current wave of violence and the anger of many young residents in disadvantaged neighborhoods living in Paris’ outskirts are reminiscent of the riots that shook France for three weeks in 2005 following the deaths of two teenagers pursued by the police and electrocuted after hiding in an electrical substation.
(With newswires)
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