France: Macron urges calm amid violence

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday urged calm and called the violence “unjustifiable”, after protests spread across the country following a 17-year-old boy being shot dead by police. The teenager, identified as Nal was killed after being stopped for a traffic violation in the Paris suburb town of Nanterre on Tuesday, and the officer who is accused of shooting him was taken to jail. Taking to Twitter, Macron said, “Violence against police stations, schools, town halls, against the Republic, is unjustifiable. Thank you to the police, gendarmes, firefighters and elected officials mobilized. Meditation, Justice and calm must guide the next few hours”. He also convened a crisis meeting with senior ministers on Thursday in the wake of the situation, CNN reported. Speaking at the meeting, Macron said: “Clearly the emotion that comes with the death of a young man calls for contemplation and calm, and it’s what the government has constantly called for. I think this is what should continue to guide the next hours and the tributes.” Calling the violence as “absolutely unjustifiable”, the French President thanked those who are working to bring back calm. “The last hours have been marked by violent scenes against police stations but also schools and town halls, and basically against institutions and the Republic. It’s absolutely unjustifiable,” Macron said. He added, “I would like to thank those who are out during the night, like yesterday, to protect these institutions and bring back calm”. In another statement, Macron defended the ‘right to protest’ and urged people to maintain calm. “We have always safeguarded the right to protest…but we need harmony and we need a lot of collective goodwill,” President Emmanuel Macron told the newspaper Ouest France, while urging calm, reported France24. Meanwhile, the French Interior Ministry said on Thursday that it is mobilizing 40,000 police officers to deal with riots that have spread across France, DW News reported.