As France remained engulfed in riots sparked by the police killing of a teenager of North African descent on Tuesday, President Emmanuel Macron faced harsh criticism after a video of him attending Elton John's farewell concert in Paris this week went viral on social media.
The concert which Marcon attended, happened a day after the 17-year-old Nahel, born to Algerian and Moroccan parents, was shot during a traffic stop on Tuesday in Nanterre, Paris. News agency AFP reported that the concert happened on Wednesday, “hours before some of the worst rioting in recent days erupted.” The video showed Macron tapping a foot on the British singer’s 'Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting' song.
Ever since the video went viral, Macron has been drawing flak for not being “enough worried over the situation.”
Also Read| France riots: Who was Nahel M — the 17-year-old teen shot dead by police in Nanterre?
‘Authorities face accusation of racism’
Earlier, Macron had labelled the incident “unforgivable” in a bid to balance the anger over the killing, as the protestors charged the authorities of police violence and institutionalised racism. However, the French president denied charges of systemic racism in law enforcement agencies, Reuters reported.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, Macron had labelled the incident “unforgivable” in a bid to balance the anger over the killing, as the protestors charged the authorities of police violence and institutionalised racism. However, the French president denied charges of systemic racism in law enforcement agencies, Reuters reported.
{{/usCountry}}The fresh tensions prompted the leader to postpone his state visit to Germany that was due to begin on Sunday. Over the past five days , some 45,000 police were deployed on the streets, along with specialised units to bring the situation under control. The riots appeared to be less intense on Saturday after the funeral of a teenager with security tightened across the country.
'2000 vehicles torched'
The French interior ministry said 1,311 people were arrested on Friday night, while the police said about 200 people were arrested nationwide on Saturday.
The protests have reignited the anger amongst the country's poorest suburbs, where inequalities and crime are rife. Visuals surfaced from the riot-hit areas showing shops ransacked, looting, and even burnt to the ground. Some 2,000 vehicles were torched since the start of the unrest while over 700 shops, supermarkets, restaurants and bank branches were destroyed.