France riots: Macron wants 'sound answers' after unrest
July 22, 2023
French President Emmanuel Macron Friday called upon ministers to draw lessons from riots that shook the nation earlier this month.
There was a "need for authority and respect," Macron told ministers during a cabinet meeting.
"We must draw lessons from what happened, and provide sound answers," he said. Macron was speaking after shuffling cabinet ministers on Thursday.
Killing of French teenager highlights nation's divisions
Macron said nationwide protests following the fatal shooting of a French teenager, Nahel M., highlighted "a risk of fragmentation, of deep division, of the nation."
17-year-old Nahel was of Algerian descent and was shot by a police officer during a traffic stop at a Paris suburb at the end of June.
Thousands of people then took the streets every day, with rioters torching cars and targeting police stations and schools, or institutions of the French state.
The French police clamped down on protesters, firing tear gas to dispel crowds and arresting hundreds of people. France also deployed a heavy security presence to stem the unrest.
rm/wd (AFP, Reuters)