Molotov cocktails thrown as widespread protest grips France

Riots began after a youth was killed by a police officer

More than 150 people have been detained in the Paris suburbs and cities across France as riots sparked by the death of a teenager in a police shooting continued into the early hours of Thursday. 

Protests broke out in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday, but have since spread to other major cities, including Toulouse, Lille, Lyon, and Nice. Rioters bombarded police with fireworks, set garbage containers on fire, and torched several cars. Local journalists reported Molotov cocktails and stones were thrown at police vans.

Le Figaro reported that “a few dozen” people launched fireworks at a prison in Fresnes, a southern suburb of Paris, and attempted to break into the building before being driven away by police.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Wednesday evening that 2,000 officers and gendarmes were put on alert in the greater Paris area, 800 more than the night before, according to French media. Police also received an emergency authorization to use surveillance drones in Nanterre.