PARIS, Jun 29 Violent riots last night in France after the death of a 17-year-old boy, some cases were organized and coordinated, cabinet spokesman Olivier Veran said on Thursday.
«This night was accompanied by violence in many cities of our country, where the symbols of the Republic were attacked, sometimes in an organized, almost coordinated manner,» he said on the radio station RMC.
The spokesman said city halls, police stations, a school, leisure centers and other public buildings were attacked this night, and noted that such violence will not lead to justice because it is directed in the wrong direction.
«The reactions that took place this night are not reactions aimed at rectifying (the situation) or bringing justice. They are reactions aimed at attacking the Republic. But it is not the Republic that is in custody, it is not the Republic that killed this young man. It is also not the police of the Republic is responsible for this. This is a man who should be tried if justice so decides,» he added.
Veran also said that the police officer who shot the teenager is still in custody.
Throughout the night, riots continued throughout France, during which protesters set fire to cars, including police officers, and buildings. According to the newspaper Figaro, dozens of garbage containers were set on fire in many neighborhoods of Dijon. In the commune of Vaud-en-Velin in the suburbs of Lyon, the instigators of the riots threw fireworks at the building of the police station. The city hall of the commune of Montreuil in the suburbs of Paris was also bombarded with fireworks. In the commune of Mons-en-Bareuls in the north of the country, protesters smashed the windows and doors of the city hall and set it on fire. The first floor of the building is completely destroyed.
According to the newspaper Parisien, dozens of cars and trash cans were also set on fire in the department of Essonne in the Paris region, and police stations in several communes of the department were also attacked.
The riots were accompanied by violent clashes with law enforcement officers. In Nanterre itself, the police were bombarded with Molotov cocktails, fireworks and cobblestones. Law enforcement responded with tear gas. A similar picture was observed in Toulouse, Lille and many other cities in France.
On Tuesday morning, police officers shot and killed a 17-year-old teenager during a road check in Nanterre, a suburb west of Paris, who, according to police, refused to comply with their demands. As a result, riots broke out in a number of cities, which have lasted for two days. The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported about the detention of 150 people. On Thursday, a «silent march» is expected in front of the prefecture of the city of Nanterre, the mother of the deceased teenager urged to hold.
French authorities urged citizens to «calm down», while demanding a fair investigation of this case. The French President called the incident «inexplicable and inexcusable», adding that «nothing justifies the death of a young man.» The prime minister said that the police acted «outside the bounds of what is permitted.»