Summary

  • Forty-five-thousand police officers have been deployed in France on Friday evening, the interior minister says

  • Gérald Darmanin said 471 people had been arrested so far in a fourth night of rioting, but that there had been a "downturn" in violence

  • He has repeated government calls for parents to keep their children out of the riots, with reports of some as young as 13 taking part

  • The government also requested the shutdown of overnight bus and tram services, and said armoured vehicles would be used to aid law enforcement

  • French football star Kylian Mbappe says "violence solves nothing", and calls for it to be replaced by "mourning, dialogue and reconstruction"

  • The UK Foreign Office has updated its guidance for Brits visiting France, urging travellers to monitor the media and avoid protests

  • The disturbances began on Tuesday after police shot dead a 17-year-old boy of Algerian descent, named as Nahel M

  • The officer who shot Nahel has apologised to the family, but the teen's death has revived grievances about policing and racial profiling in France's suburbs

  1. Armoured vehicles to be used in riot policing - French PMpublished at 15:52 British Summer Time 30 June 2023

    French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne has said police will use armoured vehicles to prevent riots from spreading across the country, the AFP news agency reports.

  2. Mylène Farmer concerts at Stade de France cancelledpublished at 15:30 British Summer Time 30 June 2023

    Mylène Farmer  at the Cannes film festival in 2021Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Mylène Farmer (R) at the Cannes film festival in 2021

    Tonight and tomorrow's concerts by singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer at the Stade de France have been cancelled, French media report.

    Farmer is a huge French pop star, and organisers will not have taken the decision to cancel the concerts lightly.

    The stadium can hold over 80,000 spectators and is the biggest venue in France.

  3. France to restrict sales of fireworkspublished at 15:27 British Summer Time 30 June 2023

    In the same statement, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has also asked that the sale of fireworks, petrol cans and flammable and chemical products be banned, AFP reports.

    He is making that request from regional prefects, who are in charge of security around the country.

  4. Buses and trams to stop nationwidepublished at 15:06 British Summer Time 30 June 2023
    Breaking

    Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has asked regional prefects for all bus and tram services to stop from 21:00 (19:00 GMT), the AFP news agency reports.

  5. How a teenager's death sparked riotspublished at 14:56 British Summer Time 30 June 2023

    Intense and widespread rioting has been taking place across France, following the shooting of a 17-year-old during a traffic stop.

    Video on social media showed the moment the police shooting of Nahel M took place, in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday.

    Here's how events have unfolded this week:

  6. UK updates guidance for Brits visiting Francepublished at 14:37 British Summer Time 30 June 2023

    A smashed shop window in ParisImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Public buildings - like this shop in Paris - have been targeted, the UK government notes

    The UK's Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for France, external in the wake of the unrest.

    It notes that some of the protests taking place in Paris and other locations across France have "turned violent", with shops, public buildings and parked cars all targeted.

    The unrest "may lead to disruptions to road travel or targeting of parked cars in areas where protests take place", officials add.

    The Foreign Office urges travellers to "monitor the media, avoid protests, check the latest advice with operators when travelling and follow the advice of the authorities".

    Visitors to France might find their travel plans are disrupted this weekend. Several towns, particularly in the region around Paris, are implementing curfews over the coming days.

  7. WATCH: Macron urges parents to keep children out of riotspublished at 14:20 British Summer Time 30 June 2023

    Media caption,

    Macron urges parents to keep children out of France riots

    As we mentioned below, the French president has asked parents to keep their children away from the riots, noting that some of those participating were "very young".

    He added that social media had "intoxicated" some children and encouraged copycat behaviour.

  8. President calls for parental responsibility as riots rage onpublished at 14:11 British Summer Time 30 June 2023

    James FitzGerald
    Live reporter

    The team's just brought you the latest lines from French President Emmanuel Macron - who's urged parents to show responsibility by keeping their children out of the riots.

    Let's briefly remind ourselves of how this all started. There have now been three nights of demonstrations after a police officer shot dead a teenager in a Parisian suburb on Tuesday.

    Seventeen-year-old Nahel M - who had driven away from a traffic check - was of Algerian descent, and his death has shone a new spotlight on racial profiling in French policing. His killer has apologised to Nahel's family.

    It's Charley Adams and me taking over this live page for now - from Marita Moloney, Alexandra Fouché and their writing team of Anna Boyd and Laura Gozzi.

  9. BBC Verify

    How do deaths involving police in France compare with other countries?published at 13:53 British Summer Time 30 June 2023

    In 2021, there were 37 deaths during police operations in France, 10 of whom were shot dead, according to the latest report, external from the police regulator IGPN.

    That figure puts France at about 0.5 deaths per million people.

    Countries tend to report these figures differently, so it's difficult to compare. For example, there is a question of whether the death occurred during the operation or after it.

    But it's definitely considerably lower than the USA, where the figure was, external about 3.5 per million and Canada where it was, external about 1.5.

    And it’s higher than England and Wales, where there were, external two fatal police shootings and 11 deaths in or following police custody in 2021-22. That is about 0.2 deaths per million.

  10. Macron outlines measures to stop violencepublished at 13:39 British Summer Time 30 June 2023

    In his statement, President Macron also said that:

    • more police would be deployed on the streets
    • parents should keep their children at home, saying it was not the responsibility of the state, but that of parents to keep their children away from the riots
    • social networks had their part to play in inflaming violence, by facilitating the organisation of protests and leading to violence being repeated; and there would be requests for the "most sensitive" content to be removed
  11. Current situation unacceptable and unjustifiable - Macronpublished at 13:24 British Summer Time 30 June 2023

    MacronImage source, Reuters

    In a short statement, President Macron said Nahel's death had been instrumentalised, denouncing the "unacceptable exploitation of the adolescent's death".

    He condemned the recent violence "with the greatest firmess", adding the current situation was "unacceptable and unjustifiable".

    He did not announce a state of emergency, but outlined a series of measures to try to quell the recent violence.

  12. Macron issuing statement on riotspublished at 13:15 British Summer Time 30 June 2023
    Breaking

    French President Emmanuel Macron is issuing a statement now at a press briefing after a crisis meeting with ministers following the riots across the country.

    We'll bring you the latest updates shortly on what he says.

  13. Nahel's funeral to be held on Saturdaypublished at 13:03 British Summer Time 30 June 2023

    Nanterre Mayor Patrick JarryImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Nanterre Mayor Patrick Jarry

    Nanterre Mayor Patrick Jarry has been speaking outside the prime minister's Matignon office in Paris where he attended a meeting with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and cabinet ministers.

    He said he attended the meeting to convey the "emotion and anger" felt by the residents of his town, which he said was shared by the town's population "in all its diversity".

    We must continue to support Nahel's family and his mother, who will attend her son's funeral on Saturday, he added.

    He had no plan to impose a curfew at the moment, he added, saying de-escalating violence was the priority.

    "We must continue to be present, to be alongside each other and to talk to each other," he added.

  14. What's been happening?published at 12:51 British Summer Time 30 June 2023

    View of burnt buses at a RATP bus depot damaged during night clashes between protesters and police,Image source, Reuters

    It's lunchtime in France. Here is where things stand:

    • Many French cities woke up to scenes of devastation following a third night of riots in protest of the police shooting of a teenager, Nahel M, on Tuesday
    • More than 800 people were arrested last night
    • Shops were looted and thousands of vehicles were set ablaze in cities and towns across France despite 40,000 officers being mobilised to keep the peace
    • President Emmanuel Macron cut short his trip to Brussels, where he was attending a European summit, to chair crisis talks in Paris
    • French PM Elisabeth Borne said "all options" were being considered to stop the unrest, when asked if a state of emergency was being contemplated
    • Several towns are imposing evening curfews
    • Marseille is suspending all public transport from 19:00 (17:00 GMT) tonight, and public demonstrations have been banned today
  15. Where the France riots have been taking placepublished at 12:39 British Summer Time 30 June 2023

    Map showing where the France riots have taken placeImage source, .
  16. Marseille bans public demonstrations after protestspublished at 12:26 British Summer Time 30 June 2023
    Breaking

    A boarded up shop in MarseilleImage source, Getty Images

    In the southern city of Marseille, public demonstrations have been banned today after last night's protests across France.

    All public transport in Marseille, the country's second-largest city, will also stop as of 19:00 local time tonight, according to local authorities.

  17. Emergency government meeting gets under waypublished at 12:18 British Summer Time 30 June 2023

    French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne as he arrives to attend a government emergency meetingImage source, Reuters

    In the last few minutes, President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and government ministers arrived for an emergency meeting in Paris after three nights of riots across France.

    As the meeting got under way, Macron announced that 492 buildings were damaged, 2,000 vehicles were burned and 3,880 fires were started last night, AFP news agency reports.

  18. Police arrest 875 people in third night of riots - ministrypublished at 12:05 British Summer Time 30 June 2023
    Breaking

    Aftermath of protestsImage source, Getty Images

    The ministry of the interior says 875 people were arrested last night as riots took place across France, according to updated figures.

    A crisis meeting of ministers convened by President Macron is starting shortly as the country is being rocked by protests which have been going on since Tuesday.

  19. Firearms law blamed for Nahel's deathpublished at 11:52 British Summer Time 30 June 2023

    Laura Gozzi
    Live reporter

    Clashes between the residents of French banlieues - the suburbs - and the police are not rare and happen more often than the authorities would like.

    In 2016, in a Paris housing estate, a male officer suffered serious burns and was put in an induced coma after a group of youths pelted petrol bombs at his patrol car.

    Police unions protested and demanded a strong response from the government. Following that incident, the law on the use of firearms by police was amended in 2017.

    It came in a context of a high terror threat after terror attacks were carried out in Paris and Nice.

    Under the amended law, officers were allowed to shoot when faced with one of five situations - one being when a driver ignores an order to stop, and is likely to pose a risk to the life or physical safety of other people.

    Critics say that this amendment - on the basis of which the teen Nahel M was shot and killed - makes the law much too vague, as it leaves an officer to determine whether the driver’s refusal to comply poses a risk.

    The law has also been linked to the deaths of 13 people killed by French police after traffic stops in 2022.

    But Bernard Cazeneuve, the former interior minister who approved the law, has defended the legislation, saying "it does not at all give officers permission to shoot whenever".

  20. Police have 'a lot to answer for' - Nanterre residentpublished at 11:40 British Summer Time 30 June 2023

    Bruno Boelpaep
    Reporting from Nanterre

    Burnt car in Nanterre

    Mouna didn’t want to be photographed, but was keen to share her thoughts after a third night of violence in her neighbourhood.

    The tower blocks of the Pablo Picasso area in Nanterre have been at the centre of the recent wave of protest.

    Nahel, the teenager killed on Tuesday, lived and died only 1km (0.6 miles) away from here.

    “I have lived here for 22 years and it’s never been that violent. Those kids should be at home and not on the street all night destroying everything," Mouna says.

    The bus stop outside her apartment block was smashed at 04:00 this morning: "I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to film what they were doing, but I was scared I'd be spotted.

    "I fear it is going to carry on. I heard them saying 'see you tonight' as they were leaving. There is a problem between the youth and the police, and I’m sad to say that the police has a lot to answer for."

    Mouna adds: "The police has always been good to me, but I see the way they talk to young people and they conduct random checks - they are not respectful."