2023-07-01 09:10:32
Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe issued a statement calling for an end to the riots that have been sweeping France for days.
And the French police announced, on Saturday, the arrest of 994 people across the country during riots that continued for the fourth night in a row, once morest the backdrop of the killing of a teenager of Algerian origin by police bullets.
The ministry said, in a still provisional toll, that “79 policemen and gendarmes were injured during the riots, which have subsided.”
The same source added that regarding 1,350 cars were set on fire, while 234 buildings were burned or vandalized, and 2,560 fires were recorded on public roads.
France deployed 45,000 police and gendarmes, backed by armored vehicles, to control the riots, which erupted following the killing of 17-year-old teenager Nael, who was shot by a policeman during a traffic check in a suburb of Paris, on Tuesday.
The victim was fatally shot in the chest by a policeman at close range during the traffic check, and the 38-year-old arrested policeman was charged with premeditated murder.
The case sparked controversy over law enforcement procedures in France, where 13 deaths were recorded in 2022 following refusing to comply with police orders.
Mbappe’s statement on “Twitter”
“Like all French people, we are devastated by the brutal death of Nael. First of all, our hearts go out to him and his family, to whom we offer our deepest condolences.” “Obviously, we cannot remain unaware of the circumstances under which this unacceptable death occurred.” “Since this tragic event, we have seen an expression of popular anger whose essence we understand, but whose form we cannot endorse.” “For many of us from working-class neighborhoods, these feelings of pain and sadness are also shared.” “But this suffering is added to helping the helpless in a real process of self-destruction.” “Violence solves nothing, even when it turns tirelessly once morest those who express it, their families, loved ones, and neighbors.” “It is your possessions that you destroy, your neighborhoods and your cities.” “In this context of intense tension, we cannot remain silent and our civic conscience encourages us to call for calm, awareness and accountability.”
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