The French president, Emmanuel Macron, received this Tuesday more than 300 mayors of towns hit by the riots of the last week in search of answers to the crisis caused by the death of a young man shot by the police.
(See here: Video: self-styled ‘patriots’ appear in France; they clash with protesters)
“Will the return to calm last? I will be prudent, but the peak that we have seen in recent days has already passed,” Macron said at the beginning of the meeting with the councilors, to whom he expressed his “appreciation” for their “action”.
The meeting occurs when a de-escalation seems to be confirmed. On the night from Monday to Tuesday, security forces detained 72 people, 24 buildings were damaged and 159 cars were set on fire.but no officers were injured, according to authorities.
The riots broke out Tuesday night after the death of Nahel, a 17-year-old boy who was shot at point-blank range by a police officer during a traffic control in Nanterre, a suburb of ParYoyes. A video captured the moment of drama.
Since then, police stations, schools and town halls have been set on fire, shops have been looted and rockets have been fired at the security forces, in response to a drama that has relaunched the recurring debate on police violence.
And the attack with a car over the weekend at the home of the mayor of Haÿ-les-Roses (south of Paris), the right-wing Vincent Jeanbrun, also highlighted the growing violence faced by public representatives.
urgent law
Although the analysis of the facts and the response are complex, Macron has already advanced before the mayors who will present an urgent law to repair the damage caused and financial aid for roads, municipal buildings and schools.
The government also said it was open to “cancelling” the social and tax contributions for the businesses attacked. The French federation of insurers France Assureurs indicated that 5,800 claims were declared by individuals and professionals.
But beyond the material damage, the political class still does not agree on the root of the outbreak of violence, as the centrist president confirmed during the meeting with the mayors in Paris.
The right and the extreme right call for a strong hand against the perpetrators of the riots, but the left opposition also points to the controversial role of the police in the suburbs and the situation in these neighborhoods, among the poorest in France.
“The Republic does not have to apologize. It has already done a lot for these neighborhoods,” said the right-wing mayor of Meaux (northeast of Paris), Jean-François Copé. His Nanterre counterpart, Patrick Jarry (left), considered that tackling the police mission is “inescapable”.
The first proposals evoked by Macron during a night visit to police officers point to the first option, by evoking “financially penalize” the families of young people who participate in the riots.
On Friday, he called his “parents” to keep them at home. His Justice Minister, Éric Dupond-Moretti, reminded the prosecution of the “criminal responsibility” of those who do not exercise parental authority, which can carry penalties of up to two years in prison and a fine of 30,000 euros ($32,700).
“Repressive Response”
“If the solution to all social conflicts is a repressive response by the state to restore order, it is very likely that violence will continue to increase,” sociologist Denis Merklen, a specialist in suburban protests, told AFP..
The Sorbonne Nouvelle University professor explained that, for almost 45 years, these neighbourhoods, where “the State is omnipresent” managing transportation or social housing, feel “underestimated” and that “if they don’t rebel, they attract very little attention from the press.
The violence and anger of suburban youth is reminiscent of riots that rocked France in 2005, after two teenagers were electrocuted to death as they fled from police.
Since Tuesday, 3,486 people have been arrested, 12,202 vehicles have been set on fire, 1,105 buildings and 209 police or gendarmerie posts have been damaged, according to the latest balance from the Ministry of the Interior.
AFP
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