France arrests 150 during second night of riots after police shooting

Following the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old teen by a police officer, 150 arrests were made overnight in France during renewed rioting, authorities said on Thursday.

“A night of unbearable violence against symbols of the Republic: town halls, schools and police stations were set on fire or attacked,” Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin wrote on Twitter.

“150 arrests. Support for the policemen, gendarmes and firefighters who bravely went into action. Shame on those who did not call for calm,” he said.

The unrest began on Tuesday evening after the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old boy in the Paris suburb Nanterre during a traffic stop. A motorbike patrol had stopped the youth at the wheel of a car.

A witness’ mobile phone video of the incident, verified by the France Info channel, shows an officer pointing his gun into the driver’s door of the stationary car. When the youth at the wheel suddenly drives off, the officer fires at close range, fatally wounding him.

Unrest spread to the Greater Paris region and several other French cities. Rioters set fire to vehicles and garbage cans during the night. Police officers and buildings were attacked with fireworks.

The officer involved in the shooting remains in police custody and is being investigated on suspicion of manslaughter.

On Thursday, a funeral march is planned in Nanterre to honour the memory of the killed youth.