Violent protests in France have been ongoing since a 17-year-old boy was shot dead by police on Tuesday.
In the past 24 hours, unrest has occurred in several places in the country despite the fact that 45,000 police officers have been deployed to stop the extensive riots of the past 24 hours.
The mayor pleads
In the port city of Marseille in the south of France, the situation has escalated so much that the mayor Benoît Payan appealed for reinforcements from the police.
– The scenes we see of looting and violence are unacceptable, said Benoît Payan.
In Marseille and also in Lyon and Grenoble, there have been reports during the evening and night of gangs of armed rioters going around setting fire to cars and rubbish bins and looting shops.
80 arrested in Marseilles
In Marseille, police used tear gas against youths who threw objects at police cars in the old port district, a popular tourist destination.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin wrote at 00:30 on Twitter that 270 people have so far been arrested in France, of which more than 80 in Marseille, reports Le Monde.
In the Twitter message, he also wrote that the police reinforcement requested by the mayor of Marseille is coming.