Following the ongoing riots in France sparked by the death of a teenager at the hands of a police officer, Switzerland has also witnessed violence as unrest spread from its neighboring country.
Swiss police have reported the arrest of six teenagers and an adult in Lausanne, a French-speaking Swiss city, for their involvement in fueling the unrest.
The city of Lausanne saw over a hundred youths engaging in acts of vandalism and damaging shops mirroring the situation in France.
Lausanne police revealed that several shop windows were smashed, and the situation escalated as youths threw stones and even a Molotov cocktail at the police.
Around 50 police officers were deployed to control the situation, leading to the arrests of three girls aged 15 or 16, three boys between 15 and 17, and a 24-year-old Swiss man. As of now, authorities have stated that the situation is under control.
This wave of France-inspired riots is not limited to Switzerland alone. In the Belgian capital, Brussels, individuals staged a demonstration in solidarity with the protests in France.
The protesters set vehicles on fire, smashed windows at bus stops in the central district of Anneessens, and clashed with the police on Maurice Lemonnier Boulevard. Approximately 10 people were detained following the unrest.
The situation in France remains tense since the killing of a 17-year-old boy named Nahel near Paris on June 27. The incident sparked a wave of unrest, prompting violent protests in the following days.
Nahel’s killing, who was of Moroccan and Algerian descent, sparked a national debate on French policing practices, specifically concerning allegations of racial profiling. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the incident but also criticized the protesters for resorting to violence in response to Nahel’s death.
The involved police officer is currently under investigation for voluntary homicide and has been placed in preliminary detention. In 2017, the French government controversially introduced a law permitting police officers to fire at vehicles if they believe the driver poses a threat to others.
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