Clashes Between Police and Protesters in France; Over 600 Arrested

Three nights after the killing of a 17-year-old teenager, several cities in France witnessed clashes between police and protesters. Thousands of protesters, mostly young people, have demonstrated over the past three nights in Paris and several major cities in France. More than 40,000 police officers are on standby in these cities. The clashes between protesters and police on Thursday night resulted in several arrests. French media report that over 600 people were arrested on Thursday alone, many of whom are young. The main protests took place in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Pau, Toulouse, and Lille. A teenager named 'Nael' was stopped by police on Tuesday night in the 'Nanterre' area of the Paris suburbs for a driving violation. Shortly after, this teenager was shot dead by police. Initially, the police claimed that they shot because he intended to run over an officer, but AFP released a video that contradicts the police's account. Since then, protesters have taken to the streets. The French government, led by Emmanuel Macron, will hold an emergency meeting on Friday to address the recent unrest in French cities. In the Aubervilliers area north of Paris, 12 buses were set on fire. Some compare this situation to the protests of 2005, which lasted three weeks and forced President Jacques Chirac to declare a state of emergency, but Macron has so far refrained from declaring a state of emergency for these disturbances. The French Ministry of the Interior announced that 250 security and police officers were also injured in the clashes.