Urban violence in France cost $708M, insurers say

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – Damages caused during protests over the killing of a 17-year-old by police in France cost around €650 million ($708.1 million), according to insurers.

A total of 11,300 damages were declared after the June 27 protests, France's Insurers Federation said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The total cost of damages goes up to €650 million: damages on work-related property represent 55% while those on local communities' property are 35%," the statement read.

Protests rocked France late last month, when a police officer fatally shot Nahel M., a 17-year-old boy of Algerian descent, during a traffic check after he allegedly ignored orders to stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.

Thousands took to the streets in France after Nahel's killing.

Vehicles and public buildings including town halls and schools were set on fire, and police arrested 4,000 people, mostly teenagers, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told Senate last week.