At least 150 arrested following protests in France over fatal police shooting of teenager

At least 150 people have been arrested in France following a second night of protests after a 17-year-old driver was killed by police.

The Paris suburb of Nanterre, where the boy was fatally shot following a traffic stop, saw another night of violence on Wednesday as police fired tear gas and protesters threw fireworks at officers and set vehicles ablaze.

Interior minister Gerald Darmanin said on Thursday: “A night of unbearable violence against symbols of the Republic: town halls, schools and police stations set on fire or attacked. 150 arrests.

“Support for the police, gendarmes and firefighters who face up with courage. Shame on those who did not call for calm.”

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0:45

Violent protests spread over teen killing

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Clashes continued in Nanterre into the early hours of Thursday morning

Rioters also set fire to buildings, while people took to the streets in other areas of the capital as well.

Unrest was also reported in other areas across France, including in the northern cities of Lille and Amiens, along with Dijon in the east and Toulouse in the south.

The Interior Ministry said dozens of police officers were injured during the clashes.

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Pic: AP

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A police officer fires tear gas in Nanterre

Earlier, the government had appealed for calm and said 2,000 police had been mobilised in the capital.

It comes amid accusations of police brutality and growing anger over the death of the youth on Tuesday, named in local reports as Nahel M.

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Pic: AP

Those speaking out include French footballer Kylian Mbappe.

The Paris Saint-Germain star, who also captains the French national team and grew up in nearby Saint-Denis, described what happened as an “unacceptable situation”.

French President Emmanuel Macron called the shooting “unexplainable and inexcusable” and called for calm.

“Nothing justifies the death of a young person,” he told reporters.

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Anger on the streets of Paris

The police officer accused of the killing is being held in custody on suspicion of manslaughter and could face preliminary charges as soon as Thursday, according to the Nanterre prosecutor’s office.

Prosecutors claim the teenager, who was of North African origin, failed to comply with an order to stop his car and that officers feared for their lives after he threatened to run them over, but that is disputed by lawyers for his family.

They cited a video circulating online that shows two police officers leaning into the driver-side window of his yellow car, before the vehicle pulls away and an officer opens fire.

The car is later seen crashed into a nearby post.

The boy who was driving the car was wounded by a gunshot and died at the scene.

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A protest march in Lille earlier on Wednesday

France’s human rights ombudsman has opened an inquiry into the death.

Meanwhile, in a video shared on TikTok, a woman identified as Nael’s mother called for a memorial march in Nanterre on Thursday.

“Everyone come, we will lead a revolt for my son,” she said.

His killing was the third fatal shooting during a police traffic stop in France so far this year, down from a record 13 last year, a national police spokesperson said.

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