FRANCE PROTESTS!!!
Following the shooting of a 17-year-old boy by police on Tuesday in Paris, France has been shaken by a wave of protests that have resulted in travel advisories, a ban on rallies in several areas, and a resurgence of the conversation on excessive policing in underserved neighborhoods.
As riot police forces engaged in heavy combat with protesters, images of individuals setting fire to cars and jumping into buildings with broken windows surfaced.
In reaction to the turmoil, French President Emmanuel Macron called an urgent conference of ministers in an effort to heal differences and bring the nation together during his second term.
What caused these Protests?
This week, during a traffic check in the Paris district of Nanterre, a police officer shot and killed the Algerian-born juvenile Nahel.

Two cops were standing on the driver’s side of the vehicle, according to surveillance video of the event, and one of them fired his pistol at the driver even though he didn’t seem to be in any danger.
According to City’s prosecutor Pascal Prache, the officer stated that he shot his weapon because he was afraid the child might run someone over with his automobile.

According to Prache, the cop used his firearm in an unauthorized manner. He is presently being held in pre-trial custody as part of a formal investigation for voluntary homicide.
What happened since then?
Protesters have been waving posters that say, “The police kill,” and hundreds of government buildings have been vandalized as a result of Nahel’s killing, which has sparked outrage in the country about racial injustice.
Following several nights of violence across France and its overseas territories, French officials have launched a raid. More than 40,000 police officers have been sent around the country to patrol cities, about 1,000 individuals have been detained, and more than 200 police officers have been injured.
5,000 security officers were deployed in Paris alone. Officers have been granted authority to control incidents, make arrests, and “restore republican order,” according to French Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin.
What caused the unrest?
Activists think Nahel’s race had a role in his death, exposing deep-seated issues in France over police bias against minority populations.
Secularism, also known as “lacité” in French, is a crucial pillar of French culture since it tries to provide equality for all by eliminating markers of difference, such as race.
However, many people of colour in France believe they are more likely than White people to be victims of police violence. According to a 2017 survey by the Rights Defenders, an independent human rights monitor in France, young males considered to be Black or Arab were 20 times more likely than other men to be stopped by police.
Accusations of violence have long plagued French police. In a statement issued earlier this year, the Council of Europe condemned the “excessive use of force by state agents” amid rallies against Macron’s controversial pension changes.

Rights groups such as Amnesty International have accused French police of racially discriminating and have called for strong, systemic reform to address the discrimination.
A spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights urged French authorities on Friday to “To make sure that the police always respect the principles of legality, need, equal treatment, diversity, caution, and responsibility when using force to deal with violent aspects of rallies.”

“France, and its police forces, fight with commitment against racism and all forms of discrimination,” the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. There can be no dispute about this commitment.
“The use of force by the national police force and authorities is governed by the principles of absolute necessity as well as proportionality, and is strictly framed and controlled,” the ministry continued.