President Macron Postpones State Visit as Violent Protests Continue in France
President Emmanuel Macron of France has decided to delay his state visit to Germany as the country grapples with violent protests following the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old. The Interior Ministry reported that although the violence on Friday was of “lower intensity” compared to the previous night, more than 1,300 people have been arrested as major cities like Marseille and Lyon continue to be rocked by unrest. The protests erupted after the teenager, Nahel M., of Algerian and Moroccan descent, was killed during a traffic stop.
The shooting has reignited long-standing grievances about police violence, neglect, and racial discrimination in France’s poorer urban areas. Many protesters identify with the victim, and the anger has led to widespread destruction, with hundreds of cars set on fire, buildings damaged, and stores looted.
A funeral was held for Nahel on Saturday in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre, where he lived and was killed. The police officer who fired the fatal shot has been detained and is under investigation for voluntary homicide. This move, while rare, has angered police unions, who argue that it ignores the presumption of innocence. The unions have also condemned the violent protests, referring to the demonstrators as “savage hordes.”
In response to the escalating violence, the authorities have increased their efforts to quell the unrest. Police reinforcements have been deployed, and late-night public transportation services have been shut down. Some cities have implemented overnight curfews.
On Friday evening, over 45,000 officers, along with armored vehicles and specialty police units, were mobilized to crack down on the riots. The police reported 1,311 arrests overnight, and the Interior Ministry revealed that 79 officers had been injured.
President Macron is under pressure to prevent the situation from worsening. His scheduled visit to Germany has been postponed, marking another instance this year where domestic crises have disrupted his diplomatic engagements. Previously, a visit by King Charles III of Britain was postponed due to protests against Macron’s pension overhaul plan.
The violent protests have prompted several cities to restrict public transportation and cancel public events. In Marseille, additional resources have been deployed, including riot police officers and helicopters. The police arrested nearly 90 people in the city. The mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan, condemned the “acts of vandalism.”
In Lyon, 58 arrests were made, and some police officers were targeted with pellet shots. Bruno Le Maire, the French economy minister, stated that over the past few days, at least a dozen malls, 250 bank branches, and over 200 stores have been attacked, some of which were burned and destroyed. Le Maire called these acts “inexcusable” and assured affected businesses that insurance companies have been asked to expedite payouts to support their recovery.
The protests have even reached overseas French territories, such as French Guiana, where a government worker was killed by a stray bullet during a violent protest.
France’s national soccer team, many of whom hail from working-class neighborhoods, issued a statement condemning the “brutal death” of Nahel and urged an end to the violence. The team expressed their anger and sadness but stressed that violence solves nothing and only harms their own communities.
As the protests continue to grip the nation, President Macron and his government face the challenge of restoring calm and addressing the underlying issues of police violence and social inequality.