On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron cut short his visit to Brussels, where he was attending an EU leaders’ conference, and rushed to Paris to chair an emergency meeting about ongoing rioting in the aftermath of a deadly police shooting.
Macron arrived home in time for the 1:00 p.m. (1100 GMT) session, cancelling a planned press conference on the outcome of the EU summit. According to French media, the Elysee palace revealed the change of plans on Friday morning.
According to the French Interior Ministry, 875 people were arrested on Thursday night during the country’s third round of violent protests over the death of a 17-year-old man at the hands of police. According to Le Figaro, the number of arrests in France was 421 at the time, a record for the country.
The uproar began with peaceful protests over the murder of a man, identified as Nahel M., during a traffic stop. Thousands of police personnel have been dispatched to crush the protests, and the Interior Ministry has ordered a harsh response.
Since the outbreak of violence, 492 buildings have been destroyed, 2,000 vehicles have been burnt, and 3,880 fires have been lit, Macron stated as he opened the emergency meeting.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne had earlier stated that her cabinet was exploring “all options” to restore order, including establishing a state of emergency.
The meeting was place in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. The situation in Ukraine and the EU’s response to it dominated the topic.
