An estimated 150 people were arrested in France on Wednesday night, as national unrest spreads across the country.
It was the second night of riots following the death of a 17-year-old boy at the hands of police officers on Tuesday morning.
Violence across Parisian suburbs saw cars being set on fire and shops raided, while a prison in Fresnes was reportedly also attacked with fireworks.
Here’s what you need to know.
What sparked the unrest in France?
Nahel M, 17, was shot dead at point-blank range on Tuesday morning while he was driving away from police, in Nanterre, which is in western suburb of Paris.
According to footage which has gone viral on social media, the incident occurred during a traffic stop.
Two officers can be seen stopping a yellow car, with one officer pointing a gun at the driver.
As the car drives away, the officer fires the gun. The car later crashes into a pavement by Nanterre’s Nelson Mandela Square, as the driver (Nahel) was fatally wounded.
Two other people were also in the car during the incident – one was arrested and held by police while the other ran away. Authorities are still looking for that third individual.
What happened before the video and what was said during the interaction remains unclear, but it sparked mass fury across France.
What happened after Nahel’s death?
France has reacted with protests to the incident, with unrest spreading across the country on Tuesday and Wednesday night.
Unrest was reported in areas across France, from the north Lille and Amiens to Dijon in the east and Toulouse in the south.
The Pablo-Picasso district of Nanterre was especially violent on Wednesday night, with cars set alight and police responding with tear gas.
Nahel was the third person in 2023 in France to have been killed in a police shooting – 13 people were killed in this way in 2022.
A 2017 change to French law meant officers could use firearms in a wider range of circumstances. According to Le Monde newspaper, the number of police shootings at moving vehicles have been higher since the change.
Reuters news agency said a majority of victims of lethal police shootings since 2017 have been Black or Arab.
Mass protests also took place across France over racial profiling and other injustices back in 2020, following George Floyd’s death in the US.
On Tuesday night, 1,200 police were deployed 31 people were arrested, 24 officers injured and 40 cars burned.
By Wednesday night, events had escalated. Around 2,000 police officers were deployed, and there were 150 arrests.
High-profile public figures have also waded into the ongoing discourse. Famous french footballer Kylian Mbappe tweeted: “I hurt for my France. Unacceptable situation. All my thoughts go to the family and loved ones of Nahel, this little angel gone much too soon.”
Nahel’s surname has not yet been released by the authorities or his family.
But, a woman claiming to be his mother posted a video on social media, saying: “They’ve taken my baby. He was still a child, he needs his mother.
“This morning, he gave me a big kiss and told me he loved me.
“I told to be careful and told him I loved him.
“We left the house at the same time and he went to get McDonald’s and I left for work like everybody else.
“And then I’m told they shot my son. What can I do?”
She said she “only had him”, and he was “my life, my best friend”, adding: “He was my son, he was everything to me. Thank you very much for the support.”
She called for a silent march on Thursday on the square where he was killed.
A lawyer for Nahel’s family told the Associated Press they wanted the officer in question to be pursued for murder not manslaughter, and wanted the investigation to go to a different region over fears local officials wouldn’t be impartial.
The family also rejected claims from police that officers felt they were in danger.
What do police say?
Police have told the French media, police said the teen drove the car towards them intending to cause harm.
However, footage verified by the AFP news agency shows an officer pointing his weapon at the driver through his window, and apparently firing while Nahel drives off.
AFP also reports someone in the clip can be heard saying, “you’re going to be shot in the head”, but it’s not clear who it came from.
What will happen to the officer who shot at Nahel?
The officer accused of killing Nahel has defended himself by saying he fired at the driver because he felt his life was in danger.
He’s in custody on charges of “voluntary homicide”.
The prosecutor in the case has claimed: “The conditions for the legal use of the weapon were not met.”
How has the French government has responded?
French president Emmanuel Macron said the shooting of Nahel was “unforgivable” – but that the riots were also “unjustifiable” and has called for calm.
He said: “I would like to express the feelings of the entire nation at what has happened and the death of young Nahel, and to tell his family of our solidarity and the nation’s affection.”
There are two investigations into the incident at the moment; one into the killing by a public official, another into the driver’s failure to stop his car and the alleged attempt to kill an officer.
Macron also said the case has been referred to the courts so justice should “do its job quickly”.
There are two investigations into the incident at the moment; one into the killing by a public official, another into the driver’s failure to stop his car and the alleged attempt to kill an officer.
Police unions have criticised the president for lashing out at the officers involved, claiming they should be presumed innocent until guilty.
Meanwhile, Interior minister Gerald Darmanin said the riots were a “night of unbearable violence”.
He said he would be taking legal action against one police union called France Police, after it published a tweet saying “bravo” to the officers who “opened fire on a young criminal”.
The now-deleted tweet also suggested Nahel’s parents were to blame, as they had been “unable to educate their son”.
On Wednesday, French prime minister Elisabeth Borne said: “The shocking images broadcast yesterday show an intervention that clearly appears as not complying with the rules of engagement of our police forces.”