Protests in France, a country in Western Europe, over the death of a 17-year-old boy expanded to nearby Switzerland and Belgium as people gathered to throw stones at officers.
Police clashed with groups of protesters, predominantly young men, in the Swiss city of Lausanne. Seven people, including teenagers, were arrested after multiple Lausanne businesses were vandalized.
As many as a hundred people gathered in Switzerland on Saturday night. They threw stones and at least one Molotov cocktail at officers, according to the police.
The aunt of the slain teen urged everyone to stop the violence. She demanded the“real change” peacefully as parts of France witnessed a sixth night of unrest over the death of the teen.
She told The Independent, "The family is very much against the violence.” She said that her nephew’s death would trigger “real change.”
Mourners paid their respects at the funeral of Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old teenager, who was slain during a police traffic check in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre.
In France, protesters clashed with police officers late Saturday and early Sunday. They targeted a mayor's residence with a burning car. Police arrested 719 people by early Sunday. Nearly 2,800 people have been detained in the country since the teenager’s death.
The 17-year-old teenager, identified as Nahel M., was shot dead by a French police officer during a traffic stop last week. He was laid to rest on Saturday in a Muslim ceremony in Nanterre, a commune in France.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron attended an emergency meeting over recent riots in the country, sparked by the teenager's death. French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, and Justice Minister Éric Dupont-Moretti also attended the emergency meeting.
The French president has reportedly urged protesters to stop the violence.
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