French protests: riots erupt in Marseille and Lyon, nearly 500 arrested



More than 470 people have been arrested in France in the fourth night of unrest sparked by the shooting of a teenage boy by police. But officials said the situation was calmer than the night before.


 On Friday night, 45,000 police officers, including special forces, were deployed to respond to riots and looting across the country. While the situation in Paris was reportedly milder than the night before, the situation was more chaotic in other major cities, including Marseille and Lyon, with buildings and vehicles set on fire and shops looted. On Friday afternoon, stores in shopping centers outside Paris and an Apple store in central Strasbourg were looted.



"The Republic will win, not the mob," French Interior Minister Gerard Dalmanin said at a meeting with police early Saturday morning. "The number of arrests in the country has reached 471," he said, noting that "the intensity is much lower than yesterday and the day before."








 More than 900 people were arrested the night before. Dalmannin condemned "unacceptable violence in Lyon and Marseille", where public demonstrations have been banned and public transport closed.



More than 80 people were arrested in Marseille, and "massive reinforcements" were dispatched after Benoît Payant, the mayor of Marseille, asked the central government to send additional troops immediately, the interior ministry said.




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