Makron postpones his visit to Germany, and French riots enter the the fourth day of arson | France | Makron
Despite France deploying a large number of police forces, nationwide riots continued from the evening of June 30 to the morning of July 1, forcing Emmanuel Macron to postpone the first state visit of the French President to Germany in 23 years.
A spokesperson for German President Frank Walter Steinmeier said on the 1st that Macron had a phone call with Steinmeier in the afternoon, discussing the current domestic situation in France and proposing to postpone his scheduled state visit to Germany from the 2nd to the 4th. The French Presidential Office confirmed that Macron expressed his desire to stay at home and handle the situation during the phone call.
Agence France Presse quoted a French source as saying that the two sides have not finalized a new visit date.
The German side said that Steinmeier expressed regret over Macron's delayed visit but "fully understands" and "hopes that street violence will end as soon as possible and social order can be restored.".
According to figures released by the French Ministry of the Interior, from the evening of June 30 to the morning of July 1, there were over 2500 arson incidents in France, with 1350 vehicles and 234 buildings set on fire, and 79 police officers injured in the riot. According to the latest updated data, the police arrested over 1300 people during the riot that night.
However, the Minister of the Interior, Gerald Dalmanin, stated that the severity of the recent night's riots has "significantly reduced". The police arrested 917 people in the previous night's riot, set fire to approximately 2000 vehicles, and attacked approximately 500 buildings.
France has deployed 45000 police and gendarmes nationwide to respond to the riots, as well as armored vehicles, but violent incidents continue to occur, with many shops being looted. In Marseille, the second largest city in the south, a gun shop was looted. The police said that some shotguns were stolen, but no bullets were lost.
Three police officers were injured in Marseille on the morning of the 1st, and Mayor Bernouard Payan requested the French government to increase the deployment of police.
Dalmanin has requested that all public buses and trams across the country be suspended at 9 pm starting from June 30th. In addition, large fireworks and flammable liquids have been banned from sale.
The French national football team has issued a statement calling for an end to violence, stating that "violence cannot solve any problem... your demands can be expressed in a peaceful and constructive manner.".
On June 27th, a police officer in the city of Nantes in the Haute Seine department of France stopped a car and opened fire, resulting in the death of a 17-year-old teenager driving. This incident sparked protests and demonstrations in France. Starting from the evening of the 28th, various cities in France experienced varying degrees of unrest. The funeral of this young man will be held on July 1st.