PARIS — Following five nights of unrest, the grandmother of the French teenager who was shot dead by police during a traffic stop made a plea on Sunday for the rioters to cease their actions. Meanwhile, authorities expressed outrage over an attack on a mayor’s home, which was struck by a burning car, injuring family members.

In a telephone interview with French news broadcaster BFM TV, the grandmother, identified only as Nadia, appealed, “Don’t break windows, buses… schools. We want to calm things down.” While she expressed anger toward the officer who killed her grandson, she maintained faith in the justice system and emphasized that her anger was not directed at the police in general. The burial of her grandson, identified by his first name Nahel, took place on Saturday.

The intensity of the violence appeared to be decreasing. Nonetheless, the office of Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced that 45,000 police officers would be deployed once again to counter the anger stemming from discrimination against individuals with ancestral ties to former French colonies and living in low-income neighborhoods. Nahel, who was of Algerian descent, was shot in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.

President Emmanuel Macron convened a special security meeting on Sunday night and plans to meet on Monday with the leaders of both houses of parliament, followed by a meeting on Tuesday with mayors from 220 towns and cities affected by the protests. The president aims to conduct a comprehensive, long-term evaluation of the underlying causes of the unrest.

The seriousness of the riots prompted Macron to postpone the first state visit by a French president to Germany in 23 years, which was scheduled to commence on Sunday evening.

According to the interior ministry, French media reported 49 arrests nationwide on Sunday, significantly lower than the 719 arrests made the previous day. Over 3,000 individuals have been detained overall since a massive security deployment was initiated. While authorities haven’t disclosed the number of protesters injured, hundreds of police officers and firefighters have sustained injuries during the violence.

French authorities expressed shock on Sunday after a burning car struck the home of the mayor of the Paris suburb of L’Hay-les-Roses. Although police stations and town halls have been targeted by fires or vandalism in recent days, such a personal attack on a mayor’s home is uncommon.

Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun stated that his wife and one of his children were injured in the attack that occurred at 1:30 a.m. while they were asleep. He was in the town hall monitoring the violence at the time. Jeanbrun, a member of the conservative opposition Republican party, described the attack as a new stage of “horror and ignominy” in the unrest.

Regional prosecutor Stephane Hardouin initiated an investigation into attempted murder and revealed that preliminary findings suggest the car was intentionally driven into the house to set it on fire. A bottle containing a flammable substance was discovered in the car.

Macron attributed the escalation of violence to social media. France’s justice minister has cautioned that young people who share calls for violence on platforms such as Snapchat could face legal repercussions.

While some fearful residents in targeted neighborhoods have welcomed the large police deployment, it has further frustrated those who perceive police conduct as the underlying issue fueling the crisis.

In Nanterre’s public square, a young man of Senegalese descent asserted that France would learn little from the recent unrest. Faiez Njai stated, regarding the police, “They’re playing on our fears, saying that ‘If you don’t listen to us,'” — as he pointed a finger at his temple and mimicked firing a shot.

Video footage of the incident showed two officers at the car window, one of them aiming a gun at the driver. As the teenager pulled forward, the officer fired a single shot through the windshield. The officer responsible for Nahel’s death has been charged provisionally with voluntary homicide.

Last year, thirteen individuals who failed to comply with traffic stops were fatally shot by French police, and three such incidents have occurred this year, leading to calls for greater accountability.

“The death of Nahel M. primarily reflects the rules and practices surrounding the use of firearms by police officers during roadside checks and, more broadly, the flawed relationship between the police and young people from working-class neighborhoods,” stated the editorial of Le Monde newspaper on Saturday.

Amid the unrest, a World War II monument in Nanterre, commemorating Holocaust victims and members of the French resistance, was vandalized during a silent march held on Thursday to honor Nahel. Slogans such as “Don’t forgive or forget” and “Police, rapists, assassins” were painted. The European Jewish Congress condemned the act of vandalism as a “shameful act of disrespect for the memory of the victims of the Holocaust.”

While life continued as usual in certain parts of France, with tourists flocking to the Eiffel Tower and a bustling shopping mall in close proximity to Nanterre attracting customers from diverse backgrounds, a bench in the empty square where Nahel was shot bore the words “The police kill.”

Near a bridge at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, where couples have traditionally affixed padlocks symbolizing enduring love, a Senegalese man selling inexpensive locks and keys shook his head when asked if Nahel’s killing and the subsequent violence would bring about any change.

“I doubt it,” he said, providing only his first name, Demba, out of fear of reprisals. “The discrimination runs too deep.”

Source: With Agencies