France riots – live: Children as young as 12 detained for attacking police amid Paris protests

As of July 3 the UK government advises only that Britons in France “avoid areas where riots are taking place, check the latest advice with operators when travelling and follow the advice of the authorities.” It does not warn against visiting any specific towns or cities.

The latest alert from the U.S. embassy in Paris related to the rioting was posted on June 29, with the advice that “U.S. citizens should avoid mass gatherings and areas of significant police activity”. It also did not warn against visiting any specific places.

Local prosecutor Pasca Prache said police spotted a Mercedes driving in a bus lane at 7:55 a.m. in the district of Nanterre on the western outskirts of Paris. Police attempted to pull him over at a red light using sirens and lights, the prosecutor added.

But Nahel disobeyed and committed several traffic offences, endangering the lives of a pedestrian and a cyclist.

The officers caught up with the Mercedes in a traffic jam. Both officers at one point used guns to deter him from starting off again and asked him to turn off the ignition, the prosecutor said. When the car made to get away, one officer fired at close range through the driver’s window.

President Emmanuel Macron held a crisis meeting with senior ministers over the shooting on Friday morning – the second in two days.

The French government has so far stopped short of declaring a state of emergency — a measure taken to quell weeks of rioting around France that followed the accidental death of two boys fleeing police in 2005.

Mr Darmanin said the Interior Ministry had issued instructions for the complete shutdown of all public bus and tram services before sunset on Friday.

Concerts at the national stadium and smaller events around the country were cancelled because of the violence and some neighbourhoods suffered serious damage. Among the cancelled events were concerts at the Stade de France by singer-songwriter Mylene Farmer, scheduled for Friday and Saturday night.

In the southern city of Marseille, France’s second-largest, authorities banned public demonstrations set for Friday, and encouraged restaurants to close outdoor eating areas early. They said all public transport would stop at 7pm.

Mr Darmanin also ordered a ban on the sale and carrying of powerful fireworks, which rioters have launched at police officers and buildings, as well as on the sale of canisters of gasoline, acids and other chemicals and flammable liquids, the ministry said.

On Saturday, Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti warned that young people who share calls for violence on Snapchat or other apps could face prosecution. Macron has blamed social media for fueling violence.

The crisis has posed a new challenge to Macron’s leadership and exposed deep-seated discontent in low-income neighbourhoods over discrimination and lack of opportunity.

The unrest has taken a toll on Macron’s diplomatic standing. On Saturday, a day before he was scheduled to depart, he postponed what would have been the first state visit to Germany by a French president in 23 years.

Following the attack on Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun’s home, Macron planned to hold a special security meeting Sunday evening with Borne, Darmanin and the justice minister.

Protests across France sparked by the police shooting of a 17-year-old last Tuesday have been described as like a “mini civil war” by a British national living in Marseille.

Six nights of violent unrest, which appeared to be easing overnight into Monday, were driven by a backlash against a French state that many young people with immigrant roots say routinely discriminates against them.

Riots have affected several areas of the country, including the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where the teenager - identified only by his first name, Nahel - was killed in his hometown.

On Monday, crowds of people gathered at town halls across France to show solidarity with the local governments that had been targeted - according to the interior ministry, 99 town halls have been attacked in the riots, along with other public buildings.

Benjamin Klene, 33, from Oxford, who lives near the train station, the Gare St Charles, in Marseille, has described the riots and police presence as “disturbing” and “very tense”.

Mr Klene was driving home after celebrating a friend’s birthday on Friday night when he noticed a “disturbing” number of police on the streets.

Residents were told not to dispose of rubbish over the weekend for fear it would be used to start fires, and public transport across France’s second-largest city ground to a halt after 7pm, he said.

Mr Klene, who works in sales, told the PA news agency: “I was driving home on Thursday night and saw unmarked vans full of tactical, special unit police in assault gear.

“It was like a mini civil war had suddenly broken out.

“All of the public transport has been stopped at night for four nights in a row and we’ve been told not to put rubbish out as bins are being used to start fires to block off roads.

“All of the restaurants and bars around my place have now been shut for the past three evenings because of the riots.

“On Friday morning, we were told by police to leave the city centre and stay with friends or relatives if possible for the weekend.

“There were police in riot gear all over the city and the atmosphere was very tense.”

By Monday afternoon, the unrest appeared to be easing, and Peter Pam, 26, who was on holiday in central Paris with his girlfriend, said they had had “zero negative encounters” from the riots.

“We have been here almost a week now and we have had zero negative encounters,” Mr Pam, from California, told the PA news agency.

Riots that have rocked France for days in the wake of police shooting a teenager at a traffic stop finally appear to be calming – with crowds gathering at town halls across the country to protest the violence and looting.

The unrest, which appeared to be easing on Sunday night, was driven by a mainly teenage backlash in the suburbs and urban housing projects against a French state that many young people with immigrant roots say routinely discriminates against them. I

n all, 99 town halls have been attacked in the violence, the Interior Ministry said, including a weekend attempt to ram the home of one mayor with an explosives-laden car.

In the municipality of l’Hay-les-Les Roses in the southern suburbs of Paris, hundreds of people gathered Monday to support Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun, whose wife and one of his young children were injured when a car set afire by rioters rammed into his home early Sunday while they slept.

It was an unusually personal attack that authorities said would be prosecuted as an attempted homicide, and it prompted an outpouring of support for local governments in many towns where the city hall is often literally central to public life.

“We saw the real face of the rioters, that of assassins,” Jeanbrun said in an emotional speech. France and “democracy itself” were being attacked in days of rioting. “This won’t last,” the mayor said, adding that the “silent majority” is speaking out to say “Stop. This is enough!” The crowd responded with the chant “Enough!”

Chris Stevenson reports:

Defiant gatherings were held outside town halls across France on Monday following a wave of rioting triggered by the fatal police shooting of a teenager of north African descent.

There was very little rioting overnight on Sunday and police made fewer than 160 arrests. The previous flashpoints have included the Parisian suburbs, Lyon, Strasbourg, Metz, Nice, Toulouse, St Etienne and Tours.

France has seen six consecutive nights of violence and unrest after police shot a 17-year-old boy during a traffic check in Paris.

Thousands have been arrested since clashes first erupted on Tuesday night in and around the Paris suburb of Nanterre where Nahel Merzouk was killed.

“I lost a child of 17-year-old, they took my baby,” the mother said in a TikTok video.

“He was still a child, he needed his mother. This morning he gave me a big kiss and told me he loved me. I told him be careful and I loved him.”

According to his mother, they both had left the house together. While he went to get a McDonald’s takeout, she left for work.

“And then I am told they shot my son, what can I do,” the heartbroken woman said.

“I only had him. I didn’t have 10 like him. He was my life, my best friend. He was my son, He was my everything.”

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports:

Over €1 million has been raised for the family of a French police officer who shot dead a teenager, sparking riots across the country – almost four times the amount raised for the family of the boy killed.

The online page started by Jean Messiha, an independent right-wing populist and former adviser to presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, has attracted donations from over 52,000 people, while a fund set up by the policeman’s colleagues has raised around €60,000.

In a message posted on the page, Messiha said: “Support for the family of the Nanterre policeman, Florian M, who has done his job and is now paying a high price. Support him MASSIVELY and support our law enforcement!”