SW News: After Nahel, a teenager of Algerian and Moroccan descent, was killed by a police officer in Nanterre, France, protests in numerous towns around the country continued for a fifth night in a row, with hundreds of agitators being detained by police.

The 17-year-old, whose death on Tuesday sparked the outrage, was buried in a Muslim ceremony in Nanterre on Saturday. The interior ministry reported that 719 people have been arrested during the fifth night of riots following the police shooting of Nahel.

In the most recent days, vandal attacks and arson have targeted several schools, police stations, town halls, and businesses. Since Nahel's passing on Tuesday, almost 2,800 individuals have been detained in total.

Nahel's mother expressed her resentment towards the police officer who shot her son but not the police in general.

Bishop Matthieu Rougé of Nanterre shared condolences on Nahel’s death. "We listen to the anguish and fury that are voiced and offer our profound condolences to Nahel's mother and family; however we also proclaim with one voice that violence is never a suitable way,” he said in a letter dated June 29.

"As religious leaders of the city of Nanterre and long-standing committed to fraternity, we wish to make a joint appeal, in these difficult times for our city and our country, for dialogue and peace," the bishop wrote on behalf of the association Fraternité Amicale Interreligieuse de Nanterre.

Meanwhile, the United Nations rights office OHCHR said it was time for the country to reckon with its history of racism in policing. In a statement released in Geneva on Friday, OHCHR Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani expressed concern over the death of Nahel.

French President Emmanuel Macron has urged parents to keep their kids off the streets. The policeman who shot the teenager allegedly offered his condolences to the family and was formally charged with voluntary homicide. Shamdasani mentioned that the alleged voluntary homicide is the subject of an inquiry. She said it was time for the nation to seriously address the significant problems of racism and prejudice in law enforcement.

She urged prompt investigation into any claims that protesters acting within their rights used excessive force. Ten of the 37 deaths that occurred during police operations in 2021 were the result of gunshots, according to the most recent statistics made public by France's police agency.