France braced for night of violence after police officer charged over deadly shooting of teen

France has deployed 40,000 police officers over fears of continued rioting after a teenage boy was shot dead, James Mates reports

France is bracing for another night of violence after a police officer fatally shooting a teenager sparked riots across the country.

Tens of thousands of officers hit the streets and people rushed home from work before public transport shut down early to keep people safe ahead of the expected protests.

Despite government appeals for calm and vows that order would be restored, cars and rubbish were set on fire and smoke was billowing over the streets of the Paris suburb of Nanterre.

Earlier on Thursday, a French police officer has been charged with "voluntary homicide" after a teenage boy was shot dead in the suburb of Nanterre, prosecutors confirmed.

The killing sparked riots across France, with 150 protesters arrested during two days of street demonstrations where cars were torched and buildings set on fire.

On Thursday night around 40,000 officers will be deployed across France to contain further unrest, bus and rail services were shutting down at 9pm to safeguard transport workers and passengers.

Earlier in the day, the mother of teenager Nahel M lead a peaceful protest through the Paris suburb.

She shouted "Justice for Nahel" as she was driven through Nanterre in a truck, surrounded by hundreds of supporters.

Some marchers had “Justice for Nahel” printed on the front of their T-shirts. “The police kill” read one marcher’s placard.

The police officer has been handed a preliminary charge.

Under French law, this means investigating judges have a strong reason to suspect wrongdoing, but will allow time for further investigation before a decision is made on whether to send the case to trial.

The police officer has been placed in provisional detention, according to the prosecutor's office.

In the morning, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin decried "a night of unbearable violence", saying town halls, schools, and police stations had been "set on fire or attacked".

Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache said that based on an initial investigation, he concluded that "the conditions for the legal use of the weapon were not met.”

Footage of the incident shared online show two police officers leaning into the driver-side window of a yellow car before the vehicle pulls away as one officer fires into the window.

The videos show the car later crashed into a post nearby.

The victim, who was driving the car, was wounded by a gunshot and died at the scene, the prosecutor’s office said.

Nahel’s surname has not been released by authorities or by his family.

Footage posted on social media shows police shooting at a car as it begins to speed off - the car is then filmed after it has crashed

Clashes first erupted on Tuesday night in Nanterre and nearby, and the government deployed 2,000 police to maintain order on Wednesday.

But violence resumed after night fell, and police and firefighters struggled to contain protesters and extinguish numerous fires.

The national police service on Thursday reported fires or violence in multiple cities overnight, from Toulouse in the south to Lille in the north, though the nexus of tensions was Nanterre and other Paris suburbs. The number of injured was not immediately released.

Multiple vehicles went up in flames in Nanterre and protesters shot fireworks and threw stones at police, who fired repeated volleys of tear gas.

Fire shot out of three storeys of a building, and a fire was reported at an electrical plant.

Fire damaged the town hall of the Paris suburb of L’Ile-Saint-Denis, not far from France’s national stadium and the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Minister of the Interior of France Gérald Darmanin said 170 officers had been injured in the unrest but none of the injuries was life-threatening. At least 90 public buildings were vandalised.

French activists renewed calls to tackle what they see as systemic police abuse, particularly in neighbourhoods like the one where Nahel lived, where many residents struggle with poverty and racial or class discrimination.

Government officials condemned the killing and sought to distance themselves from the police officer’s actions.

President Emmanuel Macron held an emergency security meeting on Thursday over the ongoing violence.

He called the killing “inexplicable and inexcusable" and called for calm.

“Nothing justifies the death of a young person,” he told reporters in Marseille.

Deadly use of firearms is less common in France than in the United States, though several people have died or sustained injuries at the hands of French police in recent years, prompting demands for more accountability.

Asked about police abuses, Macron said justice should be allowed to run its course.

A lawyer for Nahel’s family, Yassine Bouzrou, said they want the police officer prosecuted for murder instead of manslaughter.

French footballer Kylian Mbappe, who grew up in the Paris suburb of Bondy, was among many shocked by what happened. “I hurt for my France,” he tweeted.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...