France riots: Macron promises mayors 'fundamental answers'

French President Emmanuel Macron has promised "fundamental answers" in a meeting with over 300 mayors to reflect on the violence that has gripped the country for nearly a week.

Protests broke out nationwide after the recent shooting at close range of a teenager of a migrant background at a traffic stop by a police officer.

Some of the protests turned violent, with demonstrators attacking government buildings including town halls, schools and mayors' offices. In one widely condemned incident, rioters rammed a flaming car into the house of a mayor of a Paris suburb, injuring his wife and one of his children.

The violence has significantly receded over the past two nights. The Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that just 72 people were arrested overnight, a small number compared to over 1,300 two nights before.

What did Macron say?

Addressing some 302 mayors of cities particularly struck by the riots, Macron acknowledged a significant drop in violence.

"Is it a permanent return to calm? I will be cautious, but the peak that we've seen in previous days has passed," he said.

The night before, the French president met police officers to thank them for their work during the unrest. During the meeting, he suggested quick-fire fines for the parents of children caught committing acts of vandalism or robberies.

"With the first crime, we need to find a way of sanctioning the families financially and easily," Macron said, according to comments reported by the Parisien newspaper.

Over 1,200 of the nearly 4,000 people arrested since Friday are minors, according to the Justice Ministry. Apart from attacking government buildings, rioters have also targeted policemen, public transport and private vehicles, as well as igniting fires.

Macron says no 'unanimity' over the next steps

The president vowed to "reach very real solutions"  to the country's divide over the summer.

The French AFP news agency cited an official at the presidenct's office as saying Macron was hoping to "start the painstaking, long-term work needed to understand the deeper reasons that led to these events."

However, the president reportedly said the meeting failed to find "unanimity," as it was overshadowed by right-wing and left-wing officials exchanging the blame.

Some outlets also quoted Macron as saying he was considering a ban on social media. 

"And if things get out of hand, you might have to put yourself in a position to regulate [the social networks] or shut them down. That should definitely not be done in the heat of the moment, and I'm glad we didn't have to do that," BMFTV quoted Macron as saying.

The president had already blamed social networks for helping fuel the riots in a Friday speech.

He also promised in the Tuesday meeting to introduce an emergency law to facilitate rebuilding infrastructure and buildings damaged or destroyed by the latest riots. The law aims to cut red tape around reconstruction.

Policeman's fund continues to gain traction

Meanwhile, donations for the family of the policeman responsible for the killing of 17-year-old Nahel have continued to significantly outperform those of his victim.

On Tuesday, the fund, collected by Egyptian-born, French naturalized far-right media personality Jean Messiha topped €1.4 million (roughly $1.5 million). Fundraising for Nahel's family currently sits at a quarter of the sum, standing at around €352,000.

While left-wing politicians slammed the police fundraiser as shameful, the far-right has defended the French police, saying they are the daily target of violence in low-income suburbs, where residents largely have an immigrant background.

The 38-year-old policeman is in custody and has been charged with voluntary homicide.

A video of the incident that has gone viral shows the officer stopping the car Nahel was driving without a license, with his weapon drawn. He shoots the youth, who is of Algerian origin, at point-blank range as the car drives off.

Besides the killing, the officer is also charged with making false statements. He had initially claimed he opened fire when Nahel drove toward him.

rmt/jcg (AFP, dpa, Reuters)