For this eighth night since the start of the night riots, caused by the death of a 17-year-old teenager killed by a police officer during a road check in Nanterre, no major incident has been reported. A trend that seems to confirm the return to calm on Monday night.
The opportunity to take stock of this week of tensions. According to figures released by the Interior Ministry on Tuesday, 3,625 people were arrested across France in the past week, including 1,124 minors. Almost as many as the 4,728 arrests during the three weeks of the riots in the fall of 2005, initiated after the death of two boys aged 15 and 17 after a chase with the police. The judicial response is also unprecedented with already 380 incarcerations.
Despite this easing of tensions, the consequences of the tragedy at Nanterre continue to fuel debate. Back to the news of the last 24 hours.
Complaint by Nahel’s family against the online kitty
This is particularly the case of the online kitty created in support of the policeman who killed Nahel. Tuesday evening, his family announced to file a complaint against the creator of this donation pot, the far-right politician Jean Messiha.
A complaint filed “for fraud in an organized gang, misappropriation of personal data processing and concealment of these crimes”, said in a press release the family lawyer, Yassine Bouzrou.
Former spokesperson for Eric Zemmour, Jean Messiha had already announced the closure of the kitty for Tuesday evening at midnight, in the face of criticism from several left-wing deputies judging that it was using the drama of Nanterre for political purposes.
Yassine Bouzrou also specified that the complaint will concern “all the people who will be identified by the investigation as having participated in these offenses”. Until its closure last night, the GoFundMe site displayed more than one and a half million euros in donations.
Investigation in Marseille into the death of a man on the sidelines of the riots
On the sidelines of the night riots, the Marseille prosecutor’s office reported to AFP on Tuesday evening the death of a 27-year-old man, which occurred in the second city of France during the night from Friday to Saturday.
The cause of death put forward would be a “violent shock to the chest” by a “flash-ball type projectile shot”, a law enforcement weapon used by the French police. An impact of a defense ball launcher ammunition (LBD) which would have “led to cardiac arrest and therefore death in the near future”, still according to the Marseille prosecutor’s office.
The judicial authority announces that it has also opened an investigation for “fatal blow with the use or threat of a weapon”. According to AFP, the judicial police and the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) were also jointly seized.
The night from Friday to Saturday remains the biggest night of tension since the death of the teenager from Nanterre, with a record of 1,311 arrests in a single evening. The Marseille prosecutor’s office remains cautious despite everything, specifying that it is not yet possible to certify that the victim was present in the area of the Marseille riots at that time.
Bruno Le Maire reassures foreign tourists on CNN
On the other side of the Atlantic, the nightly news was also marked by the intervention of the Minister of the Economy on CNN. Bruno Le Maire was interviewed Tuesday evening by journalists from the American television channel concerning the French riots.
He spoke in English to American viewers in order to reassure about the situation in France following the tensions of recent days. While he called Nahel’s death a “tragedy […] unforgivable”, the minister repeated that the riots affecting France will, according to him, “have no impact on French growth, on French attractiveness or on French tourism”.
A speech aimed at reassuring international listeners at the start of the tourist season, and which echoes its promise in the The Telegraph from Tuesday: in an interview with the British dailyit guaranteed “the safety of all tourists on French soil”.
An emergency law announced to rebuild the municipalities
On the political side, Emmanuel Macron also announced on Tuesday an “emergency law” to come to respond to the damage linked to the night riots. The President of the Republic was addressing more than 300 mayors of municipalities affected by the violence of recent days, gathered at the Élysée.
The stated objective is to accelerate the reconstruction of the affected towns. Emmanuel Macron affirms that the State will put in place “exceptional means” to guarantee “republican order”, without giving more details on the staff or the amount of the envelope provided for this purpose.