France riots: Reinforcements in Marseille, Lyon, Grenoble

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French authorities made hundreds of arrests overnight into Sunday.

A total of 486 people had been arrested across France, the Interior Ministry said.

It added the level of violence appeared to have declined since rioting first broke out over the death of Nahel M. in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday.

"A calmer night thanks to the resolute action of the security forces," Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted early Sunday.

Some 2,800 people have been arrested overall since the teen's death.

The Interior Ministry said 322 people had been arrested nationwide on Saturday.

Among those arrested were 126 people in the Paris region, 56 in Marseille and 21 in Lyon, according to a provisional tally.

The situation was calmer in the early hours of Sunday morning than the previous four nights. 

But tension remained in the capital, and there were sporadic clashes in Marseille, Nice, and the eastern city of Strasbourg.

Sporadic clashes between rioters and police have been reported in Marseille.

Police deployed tear gas against rioters in the city's main high street around dusk. 

Later, videos posted on social media showed violence, some pillaging and street battles between police and groups of youths.

At least 56 people have been arrested in the city, according to French outlet BFMTV.

Commercial buildings in Paris, particularly on the central Champs Elysees boulevard, were again barricaded up on Saturday, in a bid to protect them from damage overnight. 

Various premium brands like Apple, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Lacoste, Nike and others have established their flagship stores on Paris' most exclusive commercial promenade. 

Earlier on Saturday, France's Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire had appealed to insurers in the country to respond quickly to businesses claiming damages as a result of the riots. 

"We have asked insurers to be as simple as possible in handling procedures," to "reduce deductibles as much as possible" and to compensate professional victims of the unrest "as quickly as possible." 

Le Maire said that more than 700 shops, supermarkets, restaurants and bank branches had been "ransacked, looted and sometimes even burnt to the ground since Tuesday." 

French police and officials braced for another night of violence on Saturday, with a total of 45,000 security forces again made available for overnight deployment. That's the same figure as on the previous night. 

But Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told reporters that additional forces and equipment would be sent to three of the worst-hit cities, Marseille, Lyon and Grenoble, which had appealed for additional support. 

Numbers would be "considerably reinforced" in those cities, Darmanin said, "in order to completely restore republican order." 

Marseille has already taken more restrictive measures than the capital Paris in a bid to get people off the streets in the evening. In Paris, buses and trams are stopping at 9 p.m. local time, but in Marseille, that is the case from 6 p.m. in the evening, with the underground metros also shut. 

Armored vehicles and two additional helicopters were being sent to the city, France's second largest by population.

French fashion house Celine has canceled its menswear show in Paris this weekend.

"A fashion show in Paris, while France and its capital are bereaved and bruised, seems... inconsiderate and totally misplaced," Hedi Slimane, the creative director at Celine and an influential fashion designer and photographer, posted to Instagram.

Slimane wrote an update on his account in French, saying that while he was disappointed to cancel the show, there was uncertainty in the atmosphere following this week's protests.

That meant canceling the show was necessary for the security of his team and guests, Slimane said.

Several hundred people lined up to enter the grand mosque at Nanterre, the Paris suburb where the 17-year-old named Nahel lived and where a police officer killed him earlier this week.

People gathered to mourn and pray, with a young woman of Arab descent telling Reuters news agency that she was there to support Nahel's family.

Nahel was of Algerian descent and lived with his mother in the town.

The shooting of the teenager has reignited calls for a check on police brutality against minorities.

The family said they wanted the funeral to be as intimate as possible and as far away from the media.
 

The spokesperson for German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said President Emmanuel Macron has asked that a planned state visit to Germany be moved to another date as unrest continues in France. 

Steinmeier's office said Macron asked to postpone his trip during a telephone conversation with the president on Saturday.

Steinmeier "regrets the cancelation and has the fullest understanding in view of the situation in our neighboring country," his office said.

The visit would be rescheduled as soon as possible, the German president's office said.

Macron was supposed to arrive Sunday and visit the cities of Ludwigsburg, Berlin and Dresden on Monday and Tuesday. 

In March, a state visit to France by Britain’s King Charles III was postponed as Macron dealt with unrest over his effort to raise the retirement age.

France's fourth consecutive night of riots over the police killing of a 17-year-old has seen over 1,350 cars torched, as part of 2,560 fires started on public roads, France's Interior Ministry said.

Police deployed some 45,000 officers on Friday night, including special units, to contain the violence.

Despite the heavy security presence, authorities said 31 police stations were attacked.

French police have made 1,311 arrests on Friday night, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday, reporting 2,500 fires.

The number of those rounded up was the highest since the riots broke-out earlier in the week.

Nevertheless, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin claimed the violence was of "much less intensity."

The Interior Ministry reported a decrease in the number of fires started, cars burned and police stations attacked, compared to the night before.

Authorities said 79 police and firefighters were injured overnight. No tally for injured protesters was made available.

Darmanin ordered all public buses and trams nationwide to shut down during nighttime. The public transport vehicles have been targets of the rioters. 

The interior minister also urged social media platforms not to allow themselves to be used as channels for calls to violence. He said the platforms were "very cooperative."

The 17-year-old kid whose death sparked the riots is to be buried on Saturday.

The youth was shot at point blank range when he drove off at a traffic stop in Nanterre on Tuesday morning.

Previously, Nahel's mother told France 5 TV that she was angry at the officer who killed her son but not at the police in general.

"He saw a little Arab-looking kid, he wanted to take his life," the mother, who is of Algerian roots, said.

Nanterre Mayor Jarry said France needed to "push for changes'' in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

rmt/dj (AFP, AP)