Clashes continue between French police, protesters for fourth night in Nantes

Clashes have continued between French police and protesters in the western city of Nantes for the fourth consecutive night over the killing of a youth by the police.

An officer claimed he opened fire and killed the 22-year-old Aboubakar Fofana in “self-defense” while attempting to arrest him during a traffic stop in the impoverished Breil neighborhood earlier this week.

The officer was detained on Thursday for questioning before his attorney, who declared on Friday that his client offered a different account of what happened on Tuesday.

"He recognizes he made a statement that did not conform with the truth," the attorney said as quoted in reports. The policeman has reportedly told investigators  that "it was an accidental shot" that killed the man.

The attorney said the officer, who has not been identified, he has been granted conditional release.

Protesters came out onto the streets of Nantes shortly after news of the death of the killing 22-year old man emerged late Tuesday night.

Dozens of vehicles and several buildings have been set ablaze in Nantes since the protests began in the city on Wednesday.

Fofana’s death set off angry protests and provoked clashes between police and protesters in Malakoff and Dervallières neighborhoods, described by some local news reports as “sensitive”. The term used by the French government to refer to areas in need of social investment, but used by people to refer to areas prone to crime.

Around 50 cars were torched overnight into Friday in Nantes, according to the fire service, which said there were arson attempts on a high school and a petrol station.

Several people have also been detained by police officers -- including a 14-year-old carrying a petrol container and matches.

The unrest has highlighted deepening tensions in France’s deprived urban areas, where local youths often complain about heavy-handed police tactics and brutality.

PressTV-French clash with police for 3rd night after youth killed

Riots continue in the French city of Nantes for the third day over the police's fatal shooting of a young man.

Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe visited Nantes on Thursday in a bid to defuse tensions, vowing "the fullest transparency" in the probe surrounding the young man's killing.

However, nearly 1,000 protesters marched in Nantes on the same evening, calling for "justice for Abou" and demanding clarity about the circumstances of his death.

Major riots also broke out in France back in 2005 following the deaths of two black teenagers who were electrocuted in a Paris suburb while trying to hide from the police.

Resentment over police brutality in the county boiled over again last year when a young black man in another Paris suburb suffered multiple anal injuries caused by a truncheon while under police custody.

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