On the fringes of the violent protests in France that have been going on for days, a young man fell from a roof and died. As the police and prosecutors announced on Friday evening, the incident occurred on Friday night at a supermarket in Petit-Quevilly, in northern France, near the city of Rouen. However, there are different statements about the exact circumstances.
Police and prefecture officials initially said the accident happened “during a looting” of a supermarket. It was later said, however, that the investigation into the circumstances was still ongoing.
According to the Rouen prosecutor’s office, there was no looting in the supermarket. The approximately 20-year-old victim climbed onto the roof of the shopping center, which consists of several closed shops, together with another young person at around 5 a.m., said public prosecutor Frédéric Teillet. The young man fell from the roof and was seriously injured. He succumbed to his injuries on Friday afternoon.
According to the police, around 30 people threw projectiles at security forces, set garbage cans on fire and damaged bus stops in Petit-Quevilly on Friday night. After a fire, a kindergarten remained closed on Friday.
For three days there have been riots in many French cities, with buildings and cars being set on fire and shops being looted. The trigger for the violence was the death of 17-year-old Nahel M., who was shot by a police officer during a traffic check in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday.
According to the French Ministry of the Interior, more than 870 people were arrested nationwide during the protests on Friday night, including numerous young people, and as many as 994 people were arrested on Saturday night.
