Paris burns for second night in a row as 150 arrested after violent clashes with cops over shooting of teenager
29 June 2023, 05:44 | Updated: 30 June 2023, 06:17
Riot cops and protestors in Paris have clashed for the second night in a row over the shooting of a 17-year-old delivery driver by police.
Clashes erupted on Tuesday night following the shooting of Nael M, who is being referred to by his initial, in a routine traffic stop.
At least 150 people have been arrested overnight following riots with thousands of police officers.
French President Emmanuel Macron labelled the shooting "inexcusable" but appealed for calm as chaos erupted for the second night in a row.
Nael M's mum has called for a silent march on Thursday to honour her son near where he was killed.
"He was everything to me, and that son of a b***h shot him," she said.
Speaking in a video on Instagram, she said: "He gave me a big kiss and told me he loved me, I told him to be careful, we left the house at the same time and went to McDonalds, then I went to work like everyone.
"An hour later my son was shot. What do I do now?"
She went on in: "I only had one, he was my best friend, my son, we were so close, thank you all for your support, I don't know what else to say."
Meanwhile, Macron said: "A teenager was killed. That is inexplicable and unforgivable."
On Wednesday evening, cars were set alight and fireworks set off in Nanterre, as well as other parts of the city, including the Hauts-de-Seine region.
Police also said protestors set a bus on fire in Essonne after all passengers had exited.
In Toulouse, a number of cars were torched and police officers were targeted with projectiles.
Around 16 people were arrested overnight.
"I hurt for my France," Mbappé said. "Unacceptable situation. All my thoughts go to the family and loved ones of Naël, this little angel gone much too soon".
Meanwhile his fellow France international Jules Koundé criticised the French media coverage for "distorting the truth".
"As if this latest police blunder wasn't enough, the 24-hour news channels are taking advantage of it by making a big fuss,' Barcelona defender Jules Koundé wrote in a social media post.
"The 'journalists' ask 'questions' with the sole aim of distorting the truth, criminalising the victim and finding extenuating circumstances where none exist. An age-old method for masking the real problem."
Koundé encouraged his compatriots to "turn off the TV and find out what's going on" themselves.
