French Government Deploys Over 40,000 Officers As Riots Engulf The Nation And Spread To Neighboring Countries

As riots are raging in France over the death of a 17-year-old North African teenager, the chaos seems to have no intent to stay within the French state. Protests have now expanded into neighboring country Belgium, with 64 protesters being arrested.

France has been in an extremely hectic state, mirroring the state of America following the death of George Floyd. Hoards of rioters have raided and destroyed numerous buildings throughout the entire country, reportedly being the worst riots that France has seen since 2005. 

The teen was named Nahel M. and was an Algerian teen who was shot and killed in a traffic stop in France, as previously reported by the DC Enquirer. Nahel had been speeding through the bus lane to avoid traffic before being stopped for the violation. He then proceeded to refuse to comply with police before attempting to speed off, which prompted the officer to fire a shot, killing Nahel. 

According to the Brussels Times, 48 minors and 16 adults were arrested in Brussels over protests taking place. One of the minors that was brought in was questioned after he was seen beating and wounding a police officer at the protest. 

The protest took place on Thursday with users on social media calling for protests to take place in the neighboring country. The youth began to gather in municipalities in the night, causing the authorities to race around in the hope to prevent any riots from actually breaking out. Belgium was successful in preventing any violent rioting from taking place, something France has been entirely unable to do currently. 

France has continued to quell the uprising, deploying over 40,000 police officers and gendarmes on Friday to reduce the mess the country is being faced with. Even so, the riots have continued to go on with more buildings being ransacked by the angry protestors. 

Experts are concerned about the potential for riots to spill over into more neighboring states as many others also have notable immigrant populations, who have widely participated in the riots. If things continue to escalate, countries can continue to lose even more control over their cities. 

The situation certainly seems bleak with no direct sight of a peaceful finish in the coming days. French and European leaders as a whole seem unready to properly manage the upcoming mess that they will be faced with.