France has been roiled for five consecutive nights as protests across the country continue, causing a police union to warn of possible civil war.
The demonstrations began ostensibly as a response to the death of a 17-year-old delivery driver of Algerian descent named Nahel Merzouk.
Merzouk was apparently shot to death by police after he allegedly failed to comply with a traffic stop. The policeman who is allegedly responsible for shooting Merzouk has been charged with murder, according to the Mirror.
Footage portraying protests in which some have begun rioting, engaging in battles, and burning down buildings abounds on social media.
“This isn’t Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan. This is France where 9% of the population has brought down entire cities! Where are CNN & BBC now?” wrote Sakarie A. Daad in a tweet. It was accompanied by footage of what appeared to be several buildings completely engulfed in flames.
This isn’t Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan. This is France where 9% of the population has brought down entire cities!
Where are CNN & BBC now?#FranceRiots #franceViolence #FranceProtest #Marseille #Immigration #Francia #Francja #FranceHasFallen #Fransa #RiotsFrance #Islamophobia pic.twitter.com/Cq54eFvyVo
— Sakarie A. Daad🌍 (@SakarieAhmet) July 1, 2023
“Police are unable to control the migrant and left-wing riots taking place across the country. French media has surrendered and cannot keep track of the number of towns and cities across the country being looted, set on fire, and destroyed,” tweeted Amy Mek, a journalist from RAIR Foundation USA.
The tweet by Amy Mek was apparently withheld from view by those online in Germany due to local laws about speech discussing ethnic identity, as noted by Wall Street Silver when retweeting it.
“Sad… People in France and Germany can’t even see what is happening,” Wall Street Silver wrote.
The disruption is not limited to the nighttime hours. Daytime footage shows a confrontation between people near a Holocaust memorial that appears to have been defaced with graffiti.
“It is truly horrifying to witness the Memorial to the Martyrs of the Deportation in Nanterre being vandalized,” tweeted the European Jewish Congress along with a video.
It is truly horrifying to witness the Memorial to the Martyrs of the Deportation in Nanterre being vandalized.
This shameful act of disrespect for the memory of the victims of the Holocaust must be unequivocally condemned and those responsible held accountable. pic.twitter.com/B0HT3L9TiF
— European Jewish Congress (@eurojewcong) June 29, 2023
As efforts to quell the protests continued into a fifth night, the home of the mayor of a Paris suburb was reportedly set on fire while rocket fireworks were aimed at his fleeing family.
Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun was not home, but his wife suffered a broken leg and one of his children was injured.
On Sunday, the mayor posted a statement to Twitter about the attack on his home and family.
“Last night, a milestone was reached in horror and ignominy. My home was attacked and my family was the victim of an assassination attempt,” the post read.
Alliance Police Nationale and UNSA Police, police unions that represents half of all French police officers, described the protesters as “savage hordes,” claiming, “asking for calm doesn’t go far enough. It must be imposed,” according to The Guardian.
“Today, police officers are at the frontline because we are at war. … [T]omorrow, we will be in resistance,” the union statement warned.
The words of the police unions were denounced by political leaders on the left. Both Jean-Luc Melenchon, a former presidential candidate for a far-left party, and Green party leader Marine Tondelier called it an appeal for “civil war,” reported The Guardian.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who postponed a state visit to Germany, addressed the protests on Friday. He asked that social media firms censor images of the demonstrations, arguing that the publicity encourages the protesters to continue.
“Platforms and networks are playing a major role in the events of recent days,” Macron was quoted in The Telegraph.
Macron also laid some of the blame for the protests on video games, reported multiple outlets, including the Associated Press.
Noting the young age of many protesters recently taken into police custody, Macron added, “It’s the responsibility of parents to keep them at home. It’s not the state’s job to act in their place,” according to The Telegraph.
The weekend saw clashes between police and protesters spread to adjacent countries like Belgium and Switzerland.
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