Riots in France appear to be calming, after five days of violent protests in response to the shooting of teenager Nahel M during a police traffic stop.
Sunday night saw violence subside and fewer arrests were made.
However, President Emmanuel Macron has asked the interior ministry to keep a “massive” police presence on the streets.
On Monday, mayors called for rallies to be held outside town halls to protest the violence and looting.
In Nanterre, Nahel’s hometown, mayor Patrick Jarry said he was pleased the violence had subsided, but added that “we shouldn’t lose sight of the incident that sparked this situation and the continuing need for justice”.
Later in the afternoon, several hundred people attended a rally in L’Haÿ-les-Roses in support of Vincent Jeanbrun, the mayor whose home was attacked by rioters who fired rockets at his fleeing wife and children, breaking her leg and injuring one of the children. The incident is being treated as attempted murder.
A visibly emotional Mr Jeanbrun said: “We saw the real faces of the rioters: they are murderers… They wanted to kill my wife and my two young children in their sleep by burning them alive.”
To applause, Mr Jeanbrun also said that over the last week “democracy itself was attacked… We need the majority of people who has so far been silent to say: enough!”
While Sunday night was far calmer, authorities were careful not to prematurely hail a return to normality on Monday.
Buses and trams in the Paris region will again be halted early on Monday night, while President Macron has asked the ministry of the interior to maintain a “massive” police presence across France in order to guarantee a “return to calm”.
Source: bbc.com
