France is banning the sale of fireworks on its biggest national holiday after protesters used them as weapons against police

The French government has imposed a temporary prohibition on the sale of fireworks.
The ban comes after anti-police protesters used fireworks as weapons during civil unrest.
It comes as France prepares to celebrate Bastille Day on July 14.

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France is banning fireworks ahead of its most important national holiday after people used them to shoot at law enforcement during a recent spate of civil unrest sparked by the police killing of a teenager last month.

In a decree published Sunday, the French government announced that it would restrict the sale and possession of “pyrotechnic articles and fireworks” until July 15 in order to prevent “serious disturbances to public order,” the BBC reported. The country celebrates Bastille Day, marking its 1789 revolution, on July 14.

The ban comes after fireworks “became the staple weapon of rioters” during the days of unrest sparked by the police killing of a 17-year-old outside Paris, Le Monde reported. It is not clear that a ban on legal sales will impact the supply, however, as the outlet noted that many protesters have to date been ordering their fireworks from sellers on social media.

The police killing has brought to the surface long-simmering resentment against French authorities amongst the country’s minority population. Protesters complain of systemic racism and economic disenfranchisement. Police shot and killed the teenager, who was of North African descent, during a traffic stop.

Police initially said the shooting was in self-defense, but that claim appears to be contradicted by a video of the incident. One officer has since been arrested on charges of homicide.

The temporary fireworks ban comes after French lawmakers on July 5 approved a measure that increases authorities’ ability to track criminal suspects using their phones. It also follows a widely-panned suggestion from French President Emmanuel Macron that the government might need more authority to regulate and even block social media during protests.

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