The grandmother of a teenager who was fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb has made a heartfelt plea for an end to the ongoing riots that have plagued the city for six consecutive nights.

As authorities expressed outrage over the targeting of a mayor’s home, the grieving grandmother urged the rioters to cease their destructive actions.

In a telephone interview with French news broadcaster BFM TV, the grandmother, identified only as Nadia, publicly appealed, saying, “Don’t vandalize windows, buses, or schools. We want to restore calm.” Her emotional statement came a day after the teenager, known by his first name Nahel, was laid to rest, as reported by CBC News.

“Nahel is dead. My daughter’s life is shattered…she no longer has a life,” Nadia expressed, conveying her profound grief and loss. The shooting of Nahel, a 17-year-old of North African descent, while attempting to flee a traffic stop in Nanterre, a working-class suburb located 15 kilometers from central Paris, ignited widespread protests across France, according to CBC News.

While the grandmother expressed her anger towards the officer who took her grandson’s life, she clarified that her grievances were not directed at the police force as a whole. She expressed her faith in the justice system as France grapples with one of its most significant social upheavals in recent years. The officer responsible for Nahel’s death has been charged preliminarily with voluntary homicide.

Incidents of fatal shootings by French police during non-compliance with traffic stops resulted in the deaths of thirteen individuals last year and three this year, leading to calls for increased police accountability. The recent unrest took a disturbing turn when Vincent Jeanbrun, the mayor of L’Hay-les-Roses, a southern suburb, disclosed that his wife and one of their children, aged five and seven, were injured when their home was targeted with a burning car while they slept.

Jeanbrun, a member of the conservative Les Republicains party, was present at the town hall overseeing the violence when the attack occurred. The town hall, which has become a focal point for attacks since Nahel’s shooting, has been fortified with barricades and barbed wire. The local prosecutor announced that an investigation into attempted murder had been initiated, but no suspects have been apprehended, according to CBC News.

In other parts of Paris, protesters clashed with police, setting barricades ablaze and detonating firecrackers. Police responded with tear gas and stun grenades. Marseille, a Mediterranean city, experienced fewer clashes compared to the previous night, with an increased police presence leading to the arrest of 55 individuals, as reported by CBC News.

Overall, the number of arrests across the country decreased compared to the previous night, attributed by Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin to the resolute actions of security forces. By early Sunday, a total of 719 arrests had been made. Despite the deployment of 45,000 police officers following Nahel’s funeral in Nanterre on Saturday, rioters have continued to engage in arson and looting, targeting not only private establishments but also state institutions such as town halls and police stations.

During a silent march on Thursday to honor Nahel, a Second World War monument in Nanterre, dedicated to Holocaust victims and members of the French resistance, was vandalized. Slogans including “Don’t forgive or forget” and “Police, rapists, assassins” adorned the defaced monument. The European Jewish Congress strongly condemned the act, labeling it a “shameful act of disrespect for the memory of the Holocaust. (Edited)