On the fifth consecutive night of civil unrest in France over the police-involved shooting death of a teenage boy, a shocking video has emerged of rioters chanting "Allahu Akbar" as they torched the European country.
"Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar," rioters chanted as they torched vehicles and launched mortar-style fireworks at buildings and police, according to video.
The interior ministry said 719 people had been arrested on Saturday night, compared to 1,311 arrested on Friday and 875 on Thursday night, Associated Press reports. More than 3,000 rioters have been arrested since Tuesday.
The French government deployed 45,000 police to cities across the country in preparation for a potential increase in unrest following Saturday's funeral for Nahel, a 17-year-old Algerian immigrant, who was shot and killed by police during a traffic stop on Tuesday. Nahel was laid to rest in a Muslim ceremony in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, according to the outlet.
Over the past few days, rioters have clashed with police as they ransacked stores and set fires to famed French cities in protest of alleged racial discrimination by French police agencies.
Hundreds of police officers were deployed to the Champs-Elysees, in the heart of Paris, and guarded its boutiques and city streets with batons and shields. Video shows riot police chasing down protesters and making multiple arrests.
In a nearby Paris neighborhood, rioters lit barricades on fire and shot mortar-style fireworks at police officers. Police deployed crowd control munitions on the rioters, such as tear gas and stun grenades, in an attempt to get them to disperse, AP reports.
Furthermore, the video shows other areas of Paris that have been destroyed in the race riots. The Croix-Blanche shopping center in the Paris banlieue (suburb) of Mée-sur-Seine went up in flames on Saturday.
In Grigny, France, rioters had set a large residential building on fire, video shows.
On Sunday, the grandmother of Nahel M, Nadia, called for an end to the violence and demanded the rioters stop.
"Nahel is dead. My daughter is lost ... she doesn't have a life anymore, "Nahel is dead. My daughter is lost ... she doesn't have a life anymore," Nadia told BFM TV. "Don't destroy the schools, don't destroy the buses ... I'm telling them [the rioters] to stop."
Although expressing anger that Nahel was killed by a police officer, Nadia was thankful that police have been deployed to quell the riots.
"Thank goodness police are there," she said.
"Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar," rioters chanted as they torched vehicles and launched mortar-style fireworks at buildings and police, according to video.
The interior ministry said 719 people had been arrested on Saturday night, compared to 1,311 arrested on Friday and 875 on Thursday night, Associated Press reports. More than 3,000 rioters have been arrested since Tuesday.
The French government deployed 45,000 police to cities across the country in preparation for a potential increase in unrest following Saturday's funeral for Nahel, a 17-year-old Algerian immigrant, who was shot and killed by police during a traffic stop on Tuesday. Nahel was laid to rest in a Muslim ceremony in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, according to the outlet.
Over the past few days, rioters have clashed with police as they ransacked stores and set fires to famed French cities in protest of alleged racial discrimination by French police agencies.
Hundreds of police officers were deployed to the Champs-Elysees, in the heart of Paris, and guarded its boutiques and city streets with batons and shields. Video shows riot police chasing down protesters and making multiple arrests.
In a nearby Paris neighborhood, rioters lit barricades on fire and shot mortar-style fireworks at police officers. Police deployed crowd control munitions on the rioters, such as tear gas and stun grenades, in an attempt to get them to disperse, AP reports.
Furthermore, the video shows other areas of Paris that have been destroyed in the race riots. The Croix-Blanche shopping center in the Paris banlieue (suburb) of Mée-sur-Seine went up in flames on Saturday.
In Grigny, France, rioters had set a large residential building on fire, video shows.
On Sunday, the grandmother of Nahel M, Nadia, called for an end to the violence and demanded the rioters stop.
"Nahel is dead. My daughter is lost ... she doesn't have a life anymore, "Nahel is dead. My daughter is lost ... she doesn't have a life anymore," Nadia told BFM TV. "Don't destroy the schools, don't destroy the buses ... I'm telling them [the rioters] to stop."
Although expressing anger that Nahel was killed by a police officer, Nadia was thankful that police have been deployed to quell the riots.
"Thank goodness police are there," she said.
French President Emmanuel Macron postponed a state visit to Germany and activated the government's "crisis unit" until further notice. Macron's visit to Germany would have been the first state visit by a French president in 23 years, according to Reuters.
President Macron has placed blame on social media for fueling the violent unrest, and France’s justice minister warned rioters that they can face prosecution if they call for violence on social media apps.
