After five days of violent protests against the shooting of adolescent Nahel M during a traffic stop, riots in France seem to be cooling down.
Violence decreased and fewer arrests were made on Sunday night.
The interior ministry has been instructed by President Emmanuel Macron to maintain a “massive” police presence on the streets.
Mayors demanded that protests against the violence and looting be organized outside town buildings on Monday.
Mayor Patrick Jarry of Nanterre, where Nahel comes from, expressed relief that the violence had subsided but cautioned that “we shouldn’t lose sight of the incident that sparked this situation and the continuing need for justice”.
Later in the afternoon, several hundred people gathered in L’Ha-les-Roses to show their support for Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun, whose residence was besieged by rioters who shot rockets at his wife and children as they fled, breaking her leg and hurting one of the kids. It is being thought of as an attempted murder.
We saw the genuine faces of the rioters: they are murderers, remarked a visibly upset Mr. Jeanbrun. They intended to set my wife and my two young children on fire and kill them while they slept.
To cheers, Mr. Jeanbrun added that “democracy itself was attacked” throughout the previous week. The bulk of those who have remained silent thus far must now declare: “Enough!”
Even though Sunday night was much calmer, authorities took caution not to declare a Monday return to normalcy too soon.
The president has urged the interior ministry to maintain a “massive” police presence across France to ensure a “return to calm,” and buses and trams in the Paris region will once more be suspended early on Monday night.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has stated that the 45,000 officers who have been stationed across the nation for the previous three nights will be back on the streets on Monday.
On Sunday night, fewer persons were taken into custody than the previous night—more than 150—than more than 700.
Compared to Thursday, there were 297 more cars that were set on fire than there were on Thursday, and 34 fewer buildings were damaged or burned down than on Thursday.
The family of Nahel, the adolescent murdered by police, demanded an end to the violence over the weekend.
His grandmother implored the rioters to cease damaging public property and accused them of exploiting Nahel’s passing as justification.
Although the family did not want his passing to cause unrest, a different relative told the BBC that the law regarding the use of lethal force during traffic stops has to be changed.
She also mentioned a GoFundMe campaign for the family of the police officer who shot Nahel, which as of Monday had amassed more than €1.1m (£956,200) and was constantly increasing, saying that her “heart is in pain” about it.
However, the platform told French newspaper Le Parisien that GoFundMe’s terms and conditions were not being broken because the funds are intended for the officer’s family and “not meant for the legal defense of an alleged violent crime.” The fundraiser, which was started by a far-right media commentator, has drawn criticism from a number of politicians.
On a different platform, a fundraising campaign for Nahel’s family was started, and as of Monday afternoon, it had raised €215,000 (£184,862).
Regional administrations in France are beginning to reveal financial assistance programs for hotels and other hospitality establishments that have been plundered.
Business owners in the Marseille region will be able to apply for a one-time grant of €10,000 (£8,598), while the Paris region has unlocked €20 million (£17,196,512) to assist in restoring the public structures that were damaged and looted.
But just as the summer season gets underway, there are worries that the recent wave of violence may have a long-term impact on the tourism industry.
A tourism official was quoted by the French media site Le Point as saying that up to 25% of hotel reservations in Paris had already been canceled.
The turmoil constituted “a real risk” to France’s reputation, according to François Rial: “This is true even if the unrest subsides, as many tourists are allergic to risk.”
The mayors of 220 local regions that have been impacted by the violence will meet with President Macron on Tuesday.
