French police arrest 944 people in one night as protest continues over teenager’s death

  The police have arrested nearly 1,000 people in France following a protest that erupted ahead of the funeral of a teenager killed by an officer during a traffic stop.   On June 27, Naël, a 17-year-old boy, was shot dead by a police officer during a traffic stop in Nanterre, a French town.   The police officer who killed Naël has reportedly been placed under formal investigation for voluntary homicide, as the government raced to quell the riot that has continued to the fourth day.   Pascal Prache, the state prosecutor, had said a bullet penetrated Naël’s arm and chest, resulting in his death.   According to him, the officer who shot the teenager said he was scared the boy would run someone over with the car and was motivated by “fear of being hit by the vehicle when it started up again, or of seeing his colleague further inside the vehicle injured by the car’s movement”.   Speaking on the development on Saturday, Gerald Darmanin, the interior minister, said 994 arrests were made nationwide overnight on Friday, adding that 79 injuries were recorded among the police.   He confirmed that despite the deployment of 45,000 officers to the streets of France, looting and vandalisation of private properties continue.   Meanwhile, Darmanin added that the violence had “lessened” compared to previous nights, adding that Friday night’s violence had been of “less intensity”.