The situation of unrest in France is showing signs of deescalation, following five days of intense riots triggered by the shooting of teenager Nahel M during a police traffic stop.
On Sunday night, the level of violence significantly decreased, resulting in fewer arrests being made.
Nevertheless, President Emmanuel Macron has instructed the interior ministry to maintain a “massive” police presence on the streets as a precautionary measure.
In response to the unrest, mayors have organized rallies outside town halls on Monday to express their opposition to the violence and looting.
In Nanterre, Nahel’s hometown, mayor Patrick Jarry said he was pleased the violence had subsided, but added that “we shouldn’t lose sight of the incident that sparked this situation and the continuing need for justice”.
The mayor of Reims, a city just over two hours away from Paris, told a crowd of several hundred people that the rioters had “looted the businesses that they visit every day”.
Although Sunday night showed a significant improvement in the level of unrest, authorities exercised caution in declaring a complete return to normalcy on Monday.
To ensure a continued restoration of order, bus and tram services in the Paris region will once again be suspended early on Monday evening. President Macron has instructed the interior ministry to maintain a “massive” police presence throughout France, aiming to guarantee a sustained period of calm.
Over the past three nights, approximately 45,000 officers have been deployed across the country to maintain security.
On Sunday night, the number of arrests decreased to over 150, compared to the previous night’s total of over 700.
There were 297 incidents of cars being set on fire, a significant reduction from Thursday’s count of 1,900. Additionally, 34 buildings were either damaged or set ablaze, a considerable decrease from the 500-plus incidents reported on Thursday.
In a press release shared on Sunday, an association of the country’s mayors noted that “communes everywhere in France are the scene of serious unrest, which targets republican symbols with extreme violence”.
In one act of violence, the home of a suburban Paris mayor was attacked, and rioters fired rockets at his fleeing wife and children, breaking her leg and injuring one of the children. The incident is being treated as attempted murder.
At the weekend, the family of Nahel, the teenager who was killed by police, called for the violence to end.
His grandmother accused rioters of using Nahel’s death as an excuse and urged them to stop destroying public goods.
Another relative told the BBC that the family did not want his death to spark riots, but insisted the law around lethal force at traffic stops must change.
She also said her “heart is in pain” about a GoFundMe page for the family of the police officer who shot Nahel, which as of Monday had raised more than €1m (£859,963), with over 50,000 donations.
The fundraiser, which was set up by a far-right media commentator, has been criticised by several politicians – but the platform told French newspaper Le Parisien that GoFundMe’s terms and conditions were not being broken because the funds are destined for the officer’s family and “not meant for the legal defence of an alleged violent crime”.
On Tuesday, President Macron will meet the mayors of 220 municipal areas that have been affected by the violence.
On Sunday, a 24-year-old fireman was killed while seeking to douse several cars which had been set alight in an underground car park in Seine-Saint-Denis, north of Paris, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said.
