Grandmother of Teenager Shot in Paris Urges Rioters to Stop

PARIS, July 2 (Sputnik) - The grandmother of Nahel M., whose death at the hands of police in Paris ignited a wave of unrest across France, has urged rioters to stop the violence and destruction and not use her grandson's death as a pretext.

"I only blame the policeman who killed my grandson. It's good that the police officers are here. To the people who break everything, I say, 'stop it.' They took advantage of Nahel. We need them to stop," Nadia told local media.

"Without buses we have no cars, we have nothing. Stop it, it's mothers riding buses, it's mothers walking in the street, we need to calm things down. We don't want them to break things. Let these young people sit quietly," she added.

The teenager's grandmother said she has trust in the French justice system and believes that the rioters would be held accountable.

Violence engulfed France on Tuesday after a 17-year-old boy was shot dead by a policeman for alleged non-compliance during a traffic stop in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris. The officer who pulled the trigger has been taken into custody over voluntary manslaughter, but this did not stop the protesters.

The protests have escalated into riots and looting, prompting authorities in some parts of France to impose partial curfews and limitations on public transport. The French Interior Ministry has been reporting hundreds of detentions of protesters and injuries among the policemen daily.

On Sunday, the Interior Ministry said that over 700 people had been detained overnight, with 45 police officers and gendarmes sustaining injuries.