Paris, July 4: French President Emmanuel Macron was on Tuesday to meet with hundreds of French officials to begin exploring the “deeper reasons” for the country’s plunge into riots after the killing of a teenager at a traffic stop.
The meeting with 220 mayors whose municipalities suffered damage over a week of violence, to be held at the Elysee palace, comes as the authorities reported a much calmer night across the country.
Overnight violence in French cities had halved in 24 hours, the interior ministry said, with 72 people arrested overnight nationwide, including 24 in and around Paris, and 24 buildings torched or damaged.
It said 159 vehicles had been set ablaze and 202 fires set in rubbish bins or elsewhere in public areas.
Four offices of police or gendarmes came under attack, but there were no injuries.
Police mobilisation had been kept at the same level as the two previous nights, at 45,000 in all of France.
The government has battled riots and looting since 17-year-old Nahel M. was killed by an officer during a traffic stop on Tuesday just outside Paris, rekindling long-standing accusations of systemic racism among security forces.
Mayors across France had held rallies Monday calling for an end to the violent clashes.
