NANTERRE, France —Protests erupted in several French cities in response to the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old, leading to clashes with law enforcement.

Demonstrators set up barricades, started fires, and launched fireworks at the police. Armored vehicles were used to clear the streets in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris, where cars were overturned and set on fire. In Clichy-Sous-Bois, another suburb of Paris, protesters set fire to the city hall. In Marseille, authorities attempted to disperse violent groups in the city center. The incident involving the police shooting has deeply impacted the nation.

To contain the ongoing protests that have engulfed the country for three consecutive nights, a significant number of police officers, estimated to be in the tens of thousands, have been mobilized. By midnight on Thursday, around 100 individuals had already been arrested, and this number was expected to increase as additional arrests were being accounted for.

The police officer involved in the shooting has been formally charged with voluntary homicide, as the initial investigation led the prosecutor to conclude that the necessary conditions for the legal use of force were not met. The officer's lawyer, appearing on BFMTV, expressed remorse on behalf of his client, emphasizing that the officer did not intend to cause harm and acted based on what he believed was necessary in that moment.
The officer, whose identity has not been disclosed, is currently detained and facing the consequences of his actions.

Despite the government's appeals for calm and assurances that order would be restored, tensions escalated in Nanterre after a peaceful march held earlier in the day to honor Nahel. Cars and garbage bins were set on fire, emitting smoke and further fueling the unrest.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced that the number of deployed officers would reach 40,000, with 5,000 specifically assigned to the Paris region.

The lawyer representing the police officer involved in the shooting incident has stated that the officer did not intend to cause harm or take a life, emphasizing that it is not the officer's daily motivation to harm others. The lawyer's name has not been disclosed in accordance with French legal practice.

The incident, which was captured on video, has shocked France and reignited tensions between the police and young individuals in marginalized neighborhoods. While the teenager's family and lawyers have not attributed the shooting to racism and have withheld personal details, activists against racism have raised concerns about police behavior, urging for a police force that does not engage in discriminatory practices.

Following a peaceful march held in Nanterre to honor the victim, the situation escalated with confrontations leading to the burning of cars and garbage bins, resulting in smoke in the area.

Tensions continued to rise in different parts of France as violent incidents occurred. A Molotov cocktail was thrown at a police office in the peaceful town of Pau, while vehicles were set on fire in Toulouse and a tramway train was torched in a Lyon suburb. The Paris police made 40 arrests during the memorial march and in other areas. As a precaution, bus and tram services in Paris were suspended, and several tram lines remained closed during the morning rush hour.

To address the ongoing unrest, the town of Clamart and the mayor of Neuilly-sur-Marne imposed overnight curfews in their respective suburbs of Paris until Monday, citing the risk of further disturbances. The unrest also spread to Brussels, where a dozen individuals were detained in clashes related to the shooting incident in France. Fires were brought under control, and at least one car was burned.

Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache disclosed that the officers attempted to stop the teenager, Nahel, because of his youthful appearance and his violation of traffic rules. Nahel allegedly ran a red light in an attempt to avoid the police but got stuck in traffic. Both officers claimed that they drew their guns to prevent him from fleeing.

The officer who fired the shot expressed concern for his own safety, as well as that of his colleague and others, according to Prache.

The recent events in France's suburbs reflect the 2005 riots, which were ignited by the deaths of Bouna Traoré, 15, and Zyed Benna, 17. These incidents exposed deep-seated anger and resentment in neglected and crime-ridden housing projects. The teenagers died while hiding from the police in a power substation in Clichy-sous-Bois, a Paris suburb.

Although fatal incidents involving firearms are less common in France than in the United States, there have been cases of people dying or being injured during encounters with the French police in recent years, leading to demands for greater accountability. The killing of George Floyd by police in Minnesota also triggered protests against racial profiling and other injustices in France.

According to a police spokesperson, 13 individuals who failed to comply with traffic stops were fatally shot by police last year, and three people, including Nahel, have died in similar circumstances this year.