Shopkeepers and residents of the center of Paris today faced the consequences of riots and looting in the center of the capital, expressing great concern, reports the AFP news agency.
“I see this for the first time in 25 years. Today is a lost day at work,” said Ivan, who works at a shoe store in Châtelet-les-Ales.
Riots on Thursday evening and this morning saw shop windows smashed, cars set on fire and shops looted. “It’s stupid for me to feed my family,” Ivan continued, waiting for the arrival of the manager.
Marieline, co-manager of Au coeur leathernné, allowed all her customers, who were on the terrace and surprised by the protests, to enter the establishment.
“We were and remain very restless,” he said. “When they attacked the establishment, I called the police and even put out the fire in the trash can next to the restaurant.”
However, he does not intend to close the space tonight. “I have reservations, I am forced to open, but if this continues, I may close earlier,” he added.
Noel, who works at the Maison Pouquelin restaurant in Châtelet, fears the riots will continue.
“We survived Covid, we ran out of customers, now if it starts again, it’s the death of merchants,” he calculated.
Attending the protests, Ibrahim (not his real name), sits next to a sporting goods store and claims to have seen “mortar shots” of fireworks. And he says he was surprised by this turn of events.
“They are wrong, because theft and looting will not add anything to the investigation. But by showing our anger, it means that we are fed up with police violence,” he said, without specifying whether he intends to participate in protest gatherings. scheduled for tonight.
After the incidents in Paris, the mayor of the capital, Anne Hidalgo, assembled a crisis team this morning.
The death of 17-year-old Nahel at a traffic control on Tuesday, caught on surveillance cameras, has reignited tensions between young people and police in social housing in Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris and other troubled areas in France. capital. .
Clashes with security forces erupted on Tuesday night in residential areas of Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris and in other troubled areas of the French capital, and early Thursday morning public buildings were damaged and cars were burned. About 150 people were arrested.
The protests continued until this morning and spread to different regions of the country, including the capital, with the mobilization of a total of 40,000 police officers and hundreds of arrests reported.
A police officer suspected of killing a young man has been arrested, charged with murder and will be held in custody.