The killing of a teenager by a police officer at a traffic stop in Nanterre (west of Paris, France) has led to a national crisis.

The incident is being investigated as murder. There’s also an open inquiry against the minor who was killed, who resisted arrest.

After an urgent crisis cabinet, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, said around 150 people have been detained after two nights of riots in cities such as Paris, Toulouse and Lyon. He described the protests as “unbearable violence against symbols of the Republic. Town halls, schools and police stations were attacked or burned down”.

In a suburb of the city of Lille, protesters broke into the town hall and started fires. A metro station was burnt, as well as supermarkets and other businesses.

Police responded with teargas to attacks in some cities.

Reactions to the killing

The mother of the killed teenager, called for a march on Thursday.

Celebrities like football star Killian Mbappé reacted to the shooting: “I am hurting for my France”.

“The emotion that accompanies the death of a young man requires reverence and calm”, said President Emmanuel Macron, adding that violence on the streets was “unjustifiable”.

Unresolved issues in Paris' suburbs

For decades, France has struggled with security in suburb areas of Paris. The low income of many families and the obstacles in the access to quality jobs has led to tensions in many of these neighbourhoods in he past.

In 2005, three weeks of riots exploded in large cities after two youth died while trying to hide from police officers investigating a reported break-in. Back then, the protests led to the burning of over 8,000 vehicles and the arrest of 2,700 people, most of them young.