France on the boil: Death of Algerian boy reignites longstanding complaints of police violence and racism   

● So far, over 1000 protestors have been arrested across the country while 200 police officers have been injured.

● The interior minister of France has deployed 45,000 police personnel on the streets after violent protests swept major French cities over the last three nights.

Nationwide protests have engulfed France after the death of Nahel M, a 17-year-old Algerian boy, who was shot dead by French Police on Tuesday. The interior minister of France has deployed 45,000 police personnel on the streets after violent protests swept major French cities over the last three nights. 

The French government has said that it has all the options on the table to restore order. So far, over 1000 protestors have been arrested across the country while 200 police officers have been injured in the clashes. Emmanuel Macron has asked social media to take down sensitive videos with immediate effect, citing security issues. 

However, the killing of an Algerian boy at a traffic stop in a working-class suburb of Paris has reignited longstanding complaints of police violence and racism by poor and racially mixed communities. The protests have spread to many cities, which include Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg, etc.  

Many violent protestors looted a gun store on Friday night, stealing hunting rifles with no ammunition. A person has been arrested and the police have guarded the store from protestors.  

Gerald Darmanin, the Interior Minister of France has said that the coming hours will be decisive and sought to quell the unrest by writing to firefighters and police officers about the situation and ways to combat the same. The bus and tram traffic has been halted from 9 pm across the country. The authorities are trying to confine the protests to city suburbs as further spread to bigger cities would lead to significant escalation. 

The video showing two police officers standing on the driver’s side of the car, one of whom discharged the gun at Nahel M despite not appearing to face any immediate threat has gone viral. It is believed that the officer used his weapon illegally and is facing a formal investigation following the incident.

As a result, anger is brewing among the people, with protestors terming the policemen as killers. Social media has also been abuzz over the last few days with many people claiming that Nahel’s race was a factor in his killing. Amnesty International have accused French police of ethnic profiling and asked to reform the system to address the deep-rooted issue of discrimination.