The wife of the mayor of Haÿ-les-Roses has a broken tibia - a "fairly serious injury", authorities say.

The Créteil prosecutor did not give an update on the condition of the couple's two children aged five and seven.

Melanie Nowak fled the house with the children after rioters rammed through the gate and set fire to the car in an attack that Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun said was intended to set alight to the house itself.

As she fled with her children, the attackers fired firework rockets at them.

The angry protests over the death of Nahel M have rekindled debate about French police brutality and allegations of racism in its ranks, most recently from the UN which France rejected.

On Sunday, however, authorities in Paris were castigated by a country that regularly attracts criticism over its own human rights record - Iran.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman has been urging France to end violence and "respect principles of human dignity".

Iran will have relished the chance to criticise France, which lit up the Eiffel Tower recently to show support for the protests that swept Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September.

Mahsa died in hospital in Tehran three days after she was detained by morality police in the capital for allegedly violating Iran's strict rules requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab, or headscarf.

Hundreds of people were killed and thousands more detained in the subsequent violent crackdown by security forces, which portrayed the protests as foreign-instigated riots.

• ‘Your car will be confiscated’: Iran women defy hijab law despite threats

Image source, Reuters

Police were out in force overnight on the iconic Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris following calls on social media for disturbances there.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Mayor's office

The charred rear of car used to attack the home of the mayor of L'Haÿ-les-Roses can still be seen in French news footage.

The car was forced through the garden gate of the suburban house and set on fire.

In a statement, Mayor Jeanbrun said the car had ben set ablaze in an attempt to set fire to the house itself and kill his wife and two young children asleep upstairs.

"It was an attempt at murder of incalculable cowardice," he said.

Mayor Jeanbrun said he had been in his office, like in the previous three nights, when the attack occurred.

A "line has been crossed" with the incident, he added.

"If my priority today is to take care of my family, my determination to protect and serve the Republic is greater than before," he said, thanking emergency services for the intervention.

Police are still searching for the attackers, as they try to piece together the initial elements of this investigation for attempted murder.

Earlier the mayor had been on French TV urging the French government to impose a state of emergency in response to the riots, which President Macron has so far declined to do.

The BBC's Sofia Bettiza is in the northern city of Lille, where overnight rioters burned a health facility.

Lucy Williamson
BBC News, Paris

Beside the discreet barricades outside the cemetery in Nanterre on Saturday, a small crowd waited for the funeral cortege of Nahel - the teenager whose killing by police has sparked five nights of rage and rioting.

There was more tension than talking.

All filming – even on phones – was banned: “No Snapchat, no Insta”, mourners were told. The message to journalists was starker: get a camera out at your peril.

Public interest in Nahel grating against more private ties.

Rioting continued last night in the southern cities of Marseille, Lyon and Grenoble The government said dozens of police stations were attacked across the country.

Nanterre, the epicentre of this earthquake, was lit up again by burning vehicles and firework rockets – aimed directly at police.

The prayers in Nanterre were for Nahel.

At night, the demands of some here are for justice.

The prayers of others are for peace.

Image source, EPA

Hugh Schofield
BBC News, Paris

Image source, Reuters

It’s been a quieter night across France after four nights of rioting that followed the killing by police of a 17 year-old at a road-check in a Paris suburb.

Police were again deployed massively, and made fewer arrests thatn the night before.

There were more disturbances, notably in Marseille, Nice and Strasbourg.

In the Brittany city of Brest a car-dealership was set ablaze.

And in the Paris suburb of l’Hay-les-Roses, attackers in a car ramraided the home of the mayor, forcing his wife and children to flee: she was taken to hospital.

There were calls on social media for people to gather on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. But police were out in force there. They made a number of arrests and confiscated equipment used in riots and the situation remained under control.

The hope is that this marks a turning-point - that rioters are losing energy thanks to the security crackdown and the massive unpopularity of their exactions.

But until more nights of quiet confirm the trend, no-one is assuming anything.

Overnight, attackers in a car rammed the home of the mayor of the Paris suburb of L'Haÿ-les-Roses, authorities say.

The attack occurred at 01:30 (23:30 GMT), when Vincent Jeanbrun was in his office.

His wife and two children were asleep when the unknown attackers rammed through the gates and set the car on fire.

When his wife and young children tried to flee, they were hit by fireworks as a result of which his wife and one of the children were injured.

It was "a murder attempt of unspeakable cowardice", Mayor Jeanbrun said.

Police have started an investigation.

Image source, reuter

French authorities say there were 719 arrests overall last night - the fifth night of protests over the killing of Nahel M

However the number is lower than the previous night and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin earlier hailed a "calmer" situation.

His ministry said 45 police officers had been injured, and more than 800 fires had been lit by rioters

Around 45,000 police were deployed across the country.

Good morning, we're resuming our live coverage of the unrest in France.

If you're just joining us, here's what's happened in the last few hours of continuing protests against the killing of teenager Nahel M by police in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.

• Around 45,000 police were deployed across the country for a second night on Saturday. And it was quieter compared to previous nights. There were fewer arrests - 719, the interior ministry has announced.
• The worst clashes were in the southern city Marseille, where police used tear gas to control the crowds. 56 arrests were made there.
• A heavy police presence in Paris appears to have deterred protesters.
• But in the capital's suburb L'Haÿ-les-Roses, attackers rammed a car into the house of the mayor, injuring his wife as she tried to flee with their two children.
• In a tweet, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin praised law enforcement for their "resolute action", external which had led to a "calmer night".

France has seen another night of unrest, although seemingly to a lesser extent than on previous nights this week.

Riot police have been out in force on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, police have thrown tear gas at rioters in Marseille, and 45,000 officers have been deployed tonight across France.

We're pausing our live coverage here, but you can read a summary of the day in our main story here.

Thanks for joining us.

A library was set ablaze on Friday night in a suburb of Metz in eastern France. The incident happened a day after a nearby concert hall and municipal building were ransacked.

Metz Mayor François Grosdidier said firefighters who tried to reach the scene were attacked and could not save the Jean-Macé library in Metz-Borny, external.

Sarah, a 20-year-old young woman who used the library, spoke of her sadness.

“I am a great reader, it was a bit of my point of reference, especially when I was little. I knew the place by heart. I couldn't afford [to buy] the books, and it was a gathering place. It was a rare infrastructure dedicated to that in the area.

"Destroying, what justice does it bring to Nahel? I can't watch. It's too atrocious," she told the AFP news agency.

Click here , externalfor footage of the fire posted on social media.

Rajini Vaidyanathan
Reporting from Paris

Image source, EPA

Blue flashing lights and blaring sirens, dozens of officers on motorbikes and in vans.

This is what a beefed-up security presence looks, and sounds like. Paris’s famous Champs-Élysées, which was earlier packed with tourists, is now swarming with police.

There had been calls on social media for protesters to gather here this evening. It seems so far, the police presence has kept most of them away.

Image source, Reuters

France has been grappling with a fifth night of unrest following the fatal shooting of a teenager by police on Tuesday. Let's recap what's happened:

• Heavy clashes have been taking place between police and rioters in the southern city of Marseille, with footage on social media showing police throwing tear gas
• Special forces police have been deployed in Lille, and the French interior minister said 45,000 police would be out again tonight - the same as last night
• Some 121 people have been arrested in cities across France, according to local media, which is so far much fewer than the last two nights
• The French PM Elisabeth Borne is attending a meeting with national policy, and will visit police headquarters in Paris
• Earlier, the funeral was held for 17-year-old Nahel. There were reports of large crowds, but the family asked the media to stay away

Laura Gozzi
Live reporter

Many commentators are saying that the images of the past few days are reminiscent of the Banlieue riots of 2005.

Back then, the disturbances were filmed or photographed by "outsiders" - mostly photographers or journalists who were there to document them.

This time round, a cursory look through TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat offers a striking, first-person view of the latest riots.

A simple search through hashtags such as "Nahel" and "riots" brings up hundreds of videos showing teenagers running around French cities, breaking into shops and setting fire to cars and bins.

In one, masked men approach an ATM with a circular saw, to cheers from dozens of people.

In another, an older man helplessly asks the person filming: "Why are you doing this?"

A third video shows a shopfront being smashed in by a group of people as many others film on their phones.

Many of the videos have a humorous tone. Several other feature rap songs that, combined with images of upturned vehicles and balaclavas, would not look out of place in films about social unrest such as La Haine.

President Macron has accused social media platforms of playing a part in inflaming the violence and of facilitating the organisation of protests.

What is certain is that social media is playing a part like never before in amplifying the unrest - and in glamorising the destruction.

Insaf Abbas
Reporting from Neuilly-sur-Seine

The suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine is a far cry from Nanterre, where the protests have been centred.

Although it's only about 5km (three miles) away, it's an affluent area and one of the most conservative in France.

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy was mayor here from 1983 to 2002, and current President Emmanuel Macron enjoys huge support in the area.

Walking around after spending the morning in the Pablo Picasso estate where Nahel lived, I'm struck by the contrast. There is a lot less diversity, and endless cafes, restaurants, designer clothes shops and a huge theatre.

I wanted to see what people living in Neuilly made of the protests taking place just a stone's throw away from them and across the country.

I meet Laurence, a woman taking her grandson out for a walk in the local park. She's disappointed, though not surprised, that the protests have turned violent.

"It's because they hate President Macron," she tells me. "Because for years and years, we've done nothing about immigration.

"They're French, but there are too many people in the same place without jobs. Now the police can't go in those suburbs - there's no law."

Image source, EPA

Dozens of people have been arrested in cities across France as violence enters a fifth successive night. BFMTV quoting a police source gave the total figure as 121.

In Marseille, the interior ministry told French media that some 43 people had now been arrested. The city has been the scene of intense clashes between rioters and police.

And officials told local media that 21 people had been arrested in city of Lyon.

In Paris - where 37 people have been arrested - a heavy police presence has been seen along the iconic Champs-Élysées.

More than 1,300 people in total were arrested the previous night, and more than 900 overnight Thursday to Friday.

Image source, Getty Images

Paris police say they have made 37 arrests today for people caught "carrying a weapon".

The capital police HQ said the arrests came after 375 searches.

The Paris region stopped all buses and trams after 21:00 local time for a second night running.

And business owners on the iconic Champs-Élysées have been seen boarding up their premises in a bid to protect the stores from rioters.

Heavy clashes have been taking place between police and rioters all evening in the southern city of Marseille.

In footage circulating online, police can be seen using tear gas against people in the city.

The video, which is from earlier on Saturday evening, shows the clashes taking place on La Canebière, the main avenue in the heart of the city.

French media reports that fighting has been taking place between a large group of rioters and officers in the area for over an hour.

According to local police, some 29 people have already been arrested for being part of "potentially violent groups"., external

Are the French police racist?published at 21:54 British Summer Time 1 July 2023

21:54 BST 1 July 2023

Rajini Vaidyanathan
Reporting from Nanterre

At the heart of these protests is one central question: Are the French police racist?

Rioters taking to the streets believe so. And many who we spoke to, from minority communities in Nanterre, feel the same.

What started as protests over the police killing of 17-year-old Nahel have come to represent a deeper concern over police profiling.

On Friday, the UN called on France to "seriously address the deep issues of racism and discrimination in law enforcement".

In response, the French government said those accusations had no foundation.

But for protesters, that's the problem.

They say that until the French government acknowledges and starts a dialogue over their concerns, they'll keep taking to the streets.

Business owners and others living in impacted neighbourhoods are paying the price, with daily destruction of their property, and want the riots to stop.

This evening, we're hearing there'll be more of the same. Many parts of France are yet again on edge.