Over 200 French mayors to meet Macron today over unrest

Paris, July 4 (IANS) More than 200 French Mayors will head to the Elysee Palace on Tuesday to meet President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the ongoing unrest in the country that erupted due to the police killing of a teenage driver last week.

The meeting comes as President Macron has appealed to the "mamans et papas" (the mums and dads) of the rioters to keep them at home and off social media, which, he said, allow "inflammatory material" to circulate, the BBC reported.

One of the Mayors to participate in Tuesday's meeting is Zartoshte Bakhtiari, who represents Neuilly-sur-Marne -- one of the the country's poorest areas, located east of Paris.

Bakhtiari told the BBC that he had slept for more than three hours a day since the rioting erupted on June 27, the day when 17-year-old Nahel M was shot and killed by a police officer at a traffic stop, 

At night, the Mayor patrols the streets with a dozen staff and city councillors until 4 or 5 a.m. in the morning, acting as an early warning system for police taking on the rioters in Neuilly-sur-Marne.

"Within days, we (were) in hell... What's happening now is the result of years of weakness from politicians, and decisions that have not been taken," he told the BBC.

"It's a problem of authority because these (rioters) don't fear justice. (They) may go to court, but they come back home a few hours after trial simply because we don't have enough places in jail in this district of Paris. 

"We cannot support this kind of weakness from the state," the Mayor added.

Bakhtiari said during Tuesday's meeting, he will request for "more toughness" from the state, and also permission for the local city police to use drones to monitor activities.

As of late Monday, more than 2,000 people have been detained since the violence began, with 157 detained overnight Sunday into Monday morning, CNN quoted the Interior Ministry as saying in its latest update.

Many of those detained throughout the protest movement are minors, with the average age of 17 years, according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.

The officer who shot Nahel has been charged with voluntary homicide and placed in preliminary detention. 

A GoFundMe page created by a far-right TV pundit in support of the officer’s family had raised over $1 million by Monday.

Meanwhile, another crowdfunding page in support of Nahel’s mother raised about $263,000. 

Nahel’s funeral was held on July 1 at a local mosque amid heavy security.