Paris riots – latest: UK issues France travel warning after looting across city

The UK has warned residents traveling to France that there could be “disruptions” to driving on roads and public transport after a third night of violent protests over the shooting dead of a teenager by police.

“Since June 27, there have been riots across France. Many have turned violent. Shops, public buildings and parked cars were attacked. “There may be disruption to road traffic and the local transport service may be limited,” says the updated guideline from the Federal Foreign Office.

“Some local authorities may impose curfews. The locations and timing of the riots are unpredictable. You should keep an eye on the media, avoid areas where there is unrest, check tour operators for the latest advice when travelling, and heed the advice of authorities.”

Night videos on social media showed urban landscapes ablaze across the country. A tram was set on fire in the eastern city of Lyon and 12 buses were destroyed at a depot in Aubervilliers, north of Paris.

The facade of the adjacent water sports center Aubervilliers, which is used for training for the 2024 Olympics, was slightly damaged by the fire, SOLIDEO – the company in charge of the Games infrastructure – told Reuters.

In Nanterre on the outskirts, protesters set fire to cars, barricaded roads and threw projectiles at police after a peaceful vigil was held earlier to commemorate the dead boy.

At the Chatelet Les Halles shopping center in central Paris, a Nike shoe store was broken into and several people arrested after shop windows were smashed along the adjacent Rue de Rivoli shopping street, Paris police said.

Transport Secretary Clement Beaune told RMC radio early on Friday that he did not rule out a closure of the capital’s public transport network.

A source told Reuters that several casino supermarkets had been looted across the country.

The French government was due to examine “all options” for restoring order on Friday after nationwide unrest escalated overnight into the most destructive rioting since police shot dead a teenager at a traffic stop.

President Emmanuel Macron was en route from Brussels to Paris after leaving an EU summit early so he could attend a second crisis cabinet meeting in two days.

The government will examine “all options” to restore order, said Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, calling the violence “intolerable and inexcusable” in a tweet.

“The priority is to ensure national unity and the way to do that is to restore order,” she later told reporters during a visit to a Paris suburb.

Nahel’s last name was not released by authorities or his family. His mother called for a silent march in his honor on Thursday in the square where the teenager was killed.

“I lost a 17-year-old child, they took my baby away from me,” the mother, who is not named, said in a TikTok video.

“He was just a kid, he needed his mother. This morning he gave me a big kiss and told me he loves me. I told him to be careful and I loved him.”

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar Reports:

People in France are getting “scared” by the “increasing violence” in the streets after the police killing of Nahel M.

Amina Kalache, a journalist living in the district where the teenager was shot, said the unrest had intensified on Thursday night.

More comments from Ms. Kalache below:

The United Nations Human Rights Office said Friday it was concerned over the fatal shooting of a teenager by police, sparking unrest across France.

“This is a moment for the country to seriously address the pervasive issues of racism and racial discrimination in law enforcement,” said spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani.

“We also emphasize the importance of a peaceful assembly. We call on the authorities to ensure that the use of force by the police to combat violent elements at demonstrations always respects the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, non-discrimination, precaution and accountability.”

Footage showed him tapping his foot along with the 76-year-old pianist as he performed hits like “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” and “Burn Down the Mission.”

A video shows shops in Paris vandalized after a third night of violent protests over the killing of a teenager by police.

Protesters set up barricades, set fires and fired firecrackers at police on French streets overnight as tensions rose over the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old by police.

Protesters ignited a fire at the town hall in the suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois overnight and torched a bus depot in Aubervilliers.

Shops were also looted and damaged during the riots

The cleanup after yesterday’s riots in Nanterre is underway. It’s the third morning in a row for city workers here, and one told me he expects to be back in the morning. Anthony Cuthbertson Reports from Nanterre.

Dozens of shop fronts are destroyed, a bank was completely destroyed by arsonists. Some fires are still smoldering, and on one street alone, six burned-out cars are lined up on one side of the road.

“We closed early yesterday because we expected trouble,” says Pascal Mitieus while collecting broken glass from the broken windows of his salad shop.

“It was quiet when I left but by 4pm it was hell. It’s getting worse. It’s totally out of control.”

Despite the chaos, it’s remarkably peaceful here this morning. A few yards from a burned-out carousel, a man is fishing in the lake that protesters used to wash tear gas off their faces yesterday. “I missed all that,” he says. “I slept.”

Firecrackers go off as police officers look on during protests in Roubaix, northern France.

Police are on standby as material explodes in the Cite Pablo Picasso neighborhood in Nanterre, northwest of Paris.

A firefighter extinguishes a fire during protests in Lille, northern France.

People see burning tires blocking a road in Bordeaux, south-west France.

Riot police attack youths during a demonstration in Paris.