Why have there been riots in France?

There has been rioting and protests in France in cities across the country since Tuesday.

It's following the death of a 17-year-old boy during a police traffic stop, in an area near Paris.

The famous Champs-Élysées in Paris was lined with specialist officers after violence and looting and there were also large riots in other cities, like Marseilles.

Some big public events, including concerts, have been cancelled and public transport stopped in some areas to help prevent protestors from gathering.

French president Emmanuel Macron has called for calm and held a government emergency meeting on Sunday night.

President Macron has asked mums and dads of the rioters to keep them at home and stop them going on social media to try to stop the unrest.

On Sunday night, mums in Aulney, a working-class area near Paris, took to the streets themselves, waving banners calling for an end to the violence.

The unrest seemed to be calming down a bit on Sunday but a major police presence will continue in cities across the country.

What started the riots?

Protestors march with a banner reading 'Justice for Nahel'

On Tuesday, a 17-year-old boy, named only as Nahel M, was shot by police during a traffic stop, in an area of Paris called Nanterre.

At first, police said officers' lives were in danger but a video of the incident appeared online that suggested that wasn't true.

The death of the teenager caused a lot of shock and anger, and triggered a series of protests on Tuesday night in Nanterre.

This spread to other areas and cities across France, with property being damaged, cars set on fire and thousands of people being arrested.

The officer who shot Nahel has apologised to the family. He has been charged with voluntary homicide and his lawyer says he is "devastated".

Nahel's family have said they did not want riots and the violence does not honour his memory.

"We want everything to calm down. Social media, riots, everything needs to calm down. With all of this, we haven't had time to sit down for five minutes together and think about how he's gone now," they said.

Nahel's grandmother has called for an end to the riots too and said some people are using his death as an excuse for violence.

What have the French government done?

France's president Emmanuel Macron called an emergency meeting following the second night of unrest

French President Emmanuel Macron said: "Nothing justifies the death of a young person," and called for "calm for justice to be done".

He added: "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.

"We have a teenager who has been killed. It's inexplicable, unforgivable."

Macron said the case was immediately being referred to the courts.

Over the weekend, the government sent out around 45,000 police officers to help stop any further problems.

Officials said more than 1,300 people were arrested across France on Friday night, but fewer arrests - around 700 - were made on Saturday.

Cities have been taking measures to prevent more rioting from taking place.

Some large public events - such as concerts - have been cancelled, and public transport stopped in some areas to prevent protestors from gathering.

What have other people said?

Kylian Mbappe won the World Cup with France in 2018

Lots of other politicians and French celebrities have also spoken out about what happened.

France football captain Kylian Mbappe said the "violence must stop" and called for "peaceful and constructive" protests.

His statement, speaking on behalf of the France national team, added: "Like all French people we were marked and shocked by the death of young Nahel."

Meanwhile, Tour de France organisers say they are prepared to adapt to any situation amid the unrest in the country.

The Tour starts in Bilbao, Spain today before moving into France on Monday.

Is it safe to travel to France?

Lots of police have been called in to manage the unrest caused by the riots

The UK Foreign Office has warned people visiting France to watch out for travel disruptions in the country.

In new travel advice on Friday, the UK government urged Britons to avoid the riots, saying their locations and timings were "unpredictable".

It's warned that there could be disruption to road travel and local transport, and that further curfews may be imposed by some local authorities.

Britons should also check the latest travel information from operators and follow the advice of local authorities, it said.