Chaos in France: second night of riots after the death of a 17 year-old boy at a police checkpoint

Second consecutive night of heavy riots in France after the death of a 17-year-old boy during a police checkpoint in the town of Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris. Since Wednesday afternoon, large groups of young people clashed with the police and caused serious damage in several parts of the country, especially in the capital and large cities.

Just like on the first day of riots, several buildings throughout the country were set on fire on the second. According to Interior Ministry spokeswoman Camille Chaize, a number of national and municipal police stations were invaded and set on fire by rioters.

Chaize also said that a dozen public buildings were attacked and set on fire Wednesday night. "It was an extremely intense night with a lot of violence," the spokeswoman explained on public radio Thursday. "Symbols of the state, but also of local public services: municipal police, town halls, schools, colleges, schools...," Chaize added. An exact number was not provided, but it was assured that the damaged buildings numbered around 10.

The violence in the streets was such that rioters even attacked the homeless shelter service in Paris. Law enforcement was deployed throughout the country to stop the riots as much as possible. French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced that 800 reinforcements from the Gendarmerie and the National Police were deployed in the Paris region on Wednesday. Darmanin claims that 150 people were arrested on the second day, 120 more than were counted the day before. These figures are provisional, which should be corrected upwards in the coming hours, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

Assault on the Fresnes penitentiary center

In the town of Fresnes, in the south of the country, the rioters even attacked the local penitentiary. According to the Ministry of the Interior, prison alarms sounded for several hours when a large group of hooded youths attempted to enter the compound.

According to French authorities, the objective was to free the prisoners in the center. The National Police had to deploy units of the RAID, a special operations unit, to dissuade the rioters from continuing their efforts.

Prosecutor charges police officer who fired the gunshot

The riots shaking France are in reaction to Nahel's death, a 17-year-old boy who was shot and killed by the police. The Nanterre prosecutor appeared Thursday to announce that he will charge the police officer who fired the shots, as the necessary conditions for using the weapon against the minor had not been met.

The prosecutor also gave the full version of events for the first time. Two French police motorcyclists on traffic duty spotted the vehicle driven by Nahel traveling at high speed in a bus lane. The two officers first attempted to control the vehicle by approaching it with their lights on. The vehicle refused the order and fled, running a red light. In the attempt to escape, the vehicle crossed into a pedestrian zone, almost taking a pedestrian and a cyclist with it.

The vehicle was then stuck in a traffic jam, at which point the policemen took advantage of the situation to get off their motorcycles and approach Nahel's vehicle. Both wielded their guns, pointed them at the driver and ordered him to turn off the engine. The driver set off again. One of the officers then shot Nahel.