4,000 arrested during protests over killing of Muslim teen in France

ANKARA (AA): French police have arrested nearly 4,000 people during the nationwide protests over the killing of a 17-year-old Muslim of Algerian origin, the country’s interior minister has said.

Speaking at a Senate hearing, Gerald Darmanin said the average age of the protesters arrested was 17.

Less than 10% of the arrested people were foreign citizens, and a third of the total were minors, he added.

“12,031 vehicles were set on fire, 2,508 buildings were either set on fire or damaged, including 105 town halls and 168 schools,” Darmanin elaborated.

He also said 45,000 law enforcement officers were deployed across the country, and that two thirds of the arrested protesters were previously unknown to the police.

Protests started last week when a police officer shot dead Nahel M., a 17 year old Muslim of Algerian decent, during a traffic check in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre on June 27 after he allegedly ignored orders to stop, a claim that has been rejected after investigation into the incident.

The officer who fired the fatal shot faces a formal investigation for voluntary homicide and has been placed under preliminary detention.

After starting in Nanterre, the protests quickly spread to other cities, including Lyon, Toulouse, Lille, and Marseille.

Experts and analysts have highlighted how the shooting of the teenager exposes the institutionalized racism and Islamophobia that plagues the country and Europe in general.