45,000 police and armored vehicles have been deployed across the country to control the ongoing protests after a teenager was shot dead by police in the French capital, Paris. In addition, police helicopters are patrolling Lyon, the country’s third-largest city.
The country’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin gave this information in an interview with French television TF One on Friday evening local time. News from AFP
He said, ‘We are keeping a close watch on the overall situation and keeping updated information from different cities including Paris.’
When asked if the government is going to issue a state of emergency or not, Darmanin said, ‘We will see in the next few hours. Then the decision taken by the President according to the situation will be implemented. We don’t want to avoid any possible solutions.’
The ongoing protests in France started on Tuesday. On that day, a 17-year-old boy was shot dead by the police at a checkpoint in Paris. Since then, protests have spread across France.
According to the police, the teenager named Nahel was shot when he ran away without obeying the instructions.
However, in a video of the incident circulating on social media, two police officers are seen trying to stop a car. One of them pointed a weapon at the driver through the car window.
When the driver started driving, a police officer shot him from close range. Then the car met with an accident after going a few meters away.
