Crisis in France; Macron Delays Official Trip to Germany

Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, has postponed his official trip to Germany following the fourth day of nationwide unrest in the country. This is the second time this year that unrest in France has forced Macron to delay a meeting with a head of state. Previously, King Charles of Britain canceled his trip due to protests against pension reform in the country. One of Macron's aides, who requested anonymity, told Reuters: "This state visit is a friendly and merely ceremonial meeting, and there will be a better time to hold it." A spokesperson for the German President also stated that Macron spoke by phone with Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German President, on Saturday, July 1, and updated him on the situation. Gérald Darmanin, the French Minister of the Interior, announced at a press conference that a similar number of police would be present in the streets again by Saturday night, and reinforcements have been sent to the major cities of Lyon and Marseille. The French Ministry of the Interior tweeted that the number of arrests overnight increased to "1,311" compared to "875" the previous night, although the ministry stated that the intensity of the violence had "decreased." Bruno Le Maire, the French Minister of Finance, said that since Tuesday, July 6, more than 700 shops, supermarkets, restaurants, and bank branches have been "looted and sometimes burned." Local authorities across France announced a ban on demonstrations and ordered public transport to cease operations at night. The funeral of Nael, a teenager whose death due to police gunfire sparked widespread unrest in France, was held. At this ceremony, several hundred people queued to enter the Grand Mosque of Nanterre, which was protected by Yellow Vest volunteers. Since the onset of the unrest, "2,000 vehicles" have been set on fire. These protests have spread to cities including Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg, and Lille. Nael, a 17-year-old with Algerian and Moroccan parents, was shot by police during a traffic stop in the suburbs of Paris on Tuesday, June 27. The reposting of the fatal shooting of Nael on social media has reignited anger among low-income and non-white groups against what they call "police violence and racism" in the country.