Update (1545ET):
There are reports of “Tactical units driving through the streets of Marseille.”
What the Twitter user is saying above lines up with France 24’s report:
Maybe this is why France needs military vehicles on the streets of Paris.
Is France a third-world country?
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Update (1235ET):
President Emmanuel Macron’s government struggles to contain social unrest across the country.
French interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, said overnight chaos has resulted in 2,000 cars burned, 500 buildings damaged, hundreds of businesses looted, and violent clashes with police. He said over 800 people were arrested, with nearly 250 officers injured.
Earlier, Macron blamed social media for fueling ‘copycat violence,’ and said state agencies would ask Twitter, Snapchat, and Tiktok to ban the most “sensitive content.”
Riots and vandalism continued throughout the day Friday. Darmanin said buses and trams would be shut down by 9 pm local time nationwide to suppress the overnight unrest.
Here are more scenes of the chaos:
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The police killing of a 17-year-old during a traffic stop on Tuesday has unleashed three consecutive days of social unrest across France.
Bloomberg reports more than 600 people were arrested Thursday night into Friday, with a majority of them between the ages of 14 and 18.
Rioters targeted municipal buildings, town halls, and libraries in various major cities, stores were looted, and all hell broke out nationwide as the government deployed 40,000 police officers yesterday afternoon to quell the violence. About 200 officers were injured overnight in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, where the teen was killed.
The unrest is so bad that President Emmanuel Macron left an EU summit in Brussels, where he will hold another emergency security meeting Friday, AFP reported, citing his office.
Video and pictures on social media of the rioting are absolutely shocking.
If Macron wants to get a grip on the violence, he might have to declare an emergency. Fox News said the president has been close to announcing one but has stopped short.
“Nothing justifies the violence that’s occurred,” said Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne.
Borne is correct. Looting stores and burning buildings isn’t a typical response for those grieving over the death of a young man killed by police. France is supposedly a first-world country with a law and judicial system that will ensure justice will be served.
We must ask critical questions, perhaps some that will trigger mainstream journos, of who exactly is sparking these riots. If it’s organized crime gangs, migrants, or just teenagers.
This post was originally published at Zero Hedge
