Emmanuel Macron
Macron met Elton John - while riots ravage the country
Leo Pettersson
Updated 12:14 | Published 2023-06-30 23:36
News
France was in flames.
Then President Emmanuel Macron took the opportunity to meet Elton John.
- Totally irresponsible, says Thierry Mariani, EU Member of Parliament for National Assembly.
Quick version
* France has been rocked by riots after 17-year-old Nahel was shot dead by police in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. As the violence escalated, President Emmanuel Macron and his wife witnessed an Elton John concert, sparking a storm of criticism. Macron was described as "totally irresponsible" by MEP Thierry Mariani.
* Macron held an emergency emergency meeting following the violent response to Nahel's death, which he called "inexplicable and unforgivable". He described the violence of the protesters as "unjustifiable" and called on France's parents to take responsibility, stressing that it is not the role of the state to act as parents.
* The violence continued on Friday with more arrests and injuries. Macron has had no comment on his concert visit. The situation has escalated so much that the mayor of Marseille has appealed to the police for reinforcements. Police have now banned unannounced demonstrations around specific locations and will use armored vehicles. The French interior minister states that "the coming hours will be decisive".
On Tuesday, 17-year-old Nahel was shot dead by a police officer in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
The day that followed has rocked France with riots described as ”a theater of urban violence”.
As violence hit the streets in full force on Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte attended Elton John's concert in Paris.
In a video, he is seen stomping along to the music. Elton's husband David Furnish later posted a picture of the two couples hanging out backstage.
A post shared by David Furnish (@davidfurnish)
Protests in Strasbourg during Friday.
1 / 2Photo: Jean-Francois Badias / AP
Thierry Mariani, Member of the European Parliament for the National Assembly, describes Macron's concert visit as "totally irresponsible".
- While France is burning, Macron was not at the side of his ministers or the police. Instead, he chose to applaud Elton John, says Mariani according to The Independet.
As usual, criticism has also been pouring in on social media.
The comment field for the Furnish instagram post above is a good example of that.
"This concert was indeed a priority for Macron".
"While a child is being murdered by the police, he is enjoying a show. Shame on Macron for his crime”.
"Did you know that France was burning when this picture was taken?".
Burnt buses outside Paris. Photo: Michel Euler / AP
The call to parents
On Friday, Macron held an emergency crisis meeting in Paris. This after a night described as "rarely violent"
- where over 660 people were arrested and around 200 police officers were injured.
After the meeting, Macron described Nahel's death as "inexplicable and unforgivable".
At the same time, he said that the violent response from the protesters is "unjustifiable" and urged the country's parents to take responsibility.
- It is not the state's task to act in place of parents, he says according to AP.
"Like they're playing video games"
Macron stated that a third of all those arrested on Thursday night were "young or very young".
- We sometimes get the feeling that they are ravaging the streets as if they were playing a video game.
However, there was no comment about the concert visit.
Thierry Mariani, Member of the European Parliament for the National Assembly: "Totally irresponsible" Photo: Daniel Cole / AP
Continued violence
The violence continued on Friday night. At 00:30, 270 people had been arrested, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin tweeted. Two hours later, the number was 471, Darmanin stated.
Among other things, there were violent confrontations between demonstrators and the police in central Lyon during the evening. Le Monde describes it as "scenes of chaos", with burning barricades, rocket fire at the opera house and police helicopters hovering over the city.
Earlier in the day, unrest was reported in Strasbourg, where an Apple store in a shopping center was vandalized.
Appeals for reinforcement
In Marseille, the situation has escalated so much that the mayor Benoît Payan appealed to the police for reinforcements.
- The scenes we see of looting and violence are unacceptable, Payan said according to TT.
Many of the night's arrests took place in Marseille, where police used tear gas against protesters who threw objects at police cars in the port district popular with tourists.
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