Marseille saw some of the worst violence on Friday, as rioters looted a gun shop near the Old Port district, according to French media. Paris has deployed 45,000 police, armored vehicles, and helicopters to quell the unrest sparked by the death of a young man in a police shooting. 

Several “hunting weapons” were stolen from the shop on Rue d’Aubagne in Marseille before the police could intervene and post a guard outside, BFM TV reported. One person was arrested with a stolen shotgun. The rioters did not take any ammunition, reports said, citing a police source. 

At least 87 people were arrested in the southern French city, where police fired tear gas at groups of masked, marauding youths who smashed shops and set vehicles on fire. The riots also caused Pride Marseille to postpone the LGBTQ event scheduled for Saturday.

Marseille Mayor Benoit Payan has asked the government to dispatch additional police units to deal with the violence and looting.

Marseille, France. The visuals are worsening day by day. Hope the city survives and rest of the #Europe learns. #FranceRiots pic.twitter.com/gFtXaqy9ET

— vartamaan (@shekharDev23) June 30, 2023

Videos circulating on social media reportedly show attacks on police precincts in Ales, Lyon, and Bonneuil, though the government has yet to officially confirm any of them.

The riots began on Tuesday night in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, after a police officer fatally shot 17-year-old Nahel M. during a traffic stop. As Nahel’s mother called for “vengeance,” local prosecutors quickly arrested and charged the officer who fired the shot with homicide. That did not stop the protests from becoming increasingly violent, however.

 French police demand government acts, threaten ‘resistance’

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Friday evening that a total of 917 individuals had been detained by police so far. “Their average age is 17,” Darmanin said. “A third of them are minors, as young as 13.” He blamed the lack of parental responsibility for the ongoing violence.

President Emmanuel Macron cut short his visit to Brussels on Friday morning to hold an emergency cabinet meeting. 

The French national football team issued a statement on social media via star forward Kylian Mbappe, calling on the rioters to calm down. The squad “cannot remain indifferent to the circumstances in which this unacceptable death took place,” and understands the substance of the protest, but “cannot endorse the form,” the statement said.

Two French police unions have demanded a crackdown on the “wild horde” disturbing the peace, warning the government that they are currently “fighting a war” on its behalf but will turn against Paris if they are stabbed in the back by those who wish to appease the rioters.

Darmanin has deployed over 45,000 police officers and gendarmes heading into the weekend, backed by drones, helicopters, and armored vehicles. 

Macron blames video games, social apps for riots

Police officers face protesters in Paris, on June 30, 2023. ©  AP Photo / Lewis Joly

French President Emmanuel Macron has argued that social media platforms and video games helped to fuel riots across the country, amid a major bout of unrest over the death of a 17-year-old at the hands of law enforcement. 

Speaking after an emergency security meeting to address the ongoing riots on Friday, Macron noted that around one-third of those arrested over the last three nights were “young or very young,” suggesting that the internet is having a negative influence on children and teens.

“Platforms and networks are playing a major role in the events of recent days,” he said of the unrest. “We’ve seen them – Snapchat, TikTok and several others – serve as places where violent gatherings have been organized, but there’s also a form of mimicry of the violence which for some young people leads them to lose touch with reality.”

The president added that youths were taking to the streets to act out “the video games that have intoxicated them,” going on to urge parents to keep their children at home.

READ MORE: Rioters loot gun store in Marseille – media

Earlier, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that the government warned social media sites not to host calls for violence and other content glorifying the riots. He vowed to “take all necessary measures if we become aware that social networks, whoever they are, don’t respect the law.” The minister also ordered a shutdown of certain forms of public transit, which have become a target for vandals. 

The riots erupted on Tuesday night in the Paris suburb of Nanterre after a police officer fatally shot 17-year-old pizza delivery driver Nahel M. during a traffic stop. The officer in question was quickly jailed and charged with homicide, following a call for “vengeance” by the teen’s mother.

The unrest and looting intensified through the week and spread to other major cities, including the Mediterranean port of Marseille, where rioters reportedly ransacked a gun store. Several police stations were also attacked, according to reports on social media. 

Darmanin said on Friday that a total of 917 people have been detained by police so far, adding that their average age is just 17.

With some 45,000 officers deployed to quell the disturbances, two major police unions have demanded a crackdown on the “wild horde” of demonstrators, stating that officers were waging a “war” on the government’s behalf. They went on to warn that law enforcement would become “the resistance” should officials fail to restore order.

As of Friday afternoon, rioters had ignited nearly 4,000 fires, destroyed more than 2,000 cars, and damaged around