France seeks answers as worst of riots passes

French President Emmanuel Macron told the country's mayors on Tuesday that the "peak" of rioting that has hit the country in the past week has passed and promised "fundamental answers" to the unrest.

The meeting with more than 300 mayors at the Elysee Palace in Paris came after nationwide protests and rioting following the shooting of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk of Algerian descent by a police officer in the Paris suburban town of Nanterre on June 27.

The killing has reignited long-simmering tensions between youth of immigrant background and police over the deep-rooted issues of racial discrimination and police brutality. In the past few days, town halls, schools and stores have been destroyed and looted, and cars torched by rioters.

The violence subsided over the last two nights with the Interior Ministry reporting on Tuesday only 72 arrests overnight, a sharp drop compared with the more than 1,300 arrests two nights before.

"I'll still be very cautious over the coming days and weeks, but the peak we experienced in the first nights (of the riots) is over, and now it's the lasting, republican order we all want … and that's the absolute priority," Macron told the mayors.

Macron promised to introduce an emergency law to facilitate repair and reconstruction of infrastructure and buildings damaged or destroyed by riots.

Support for rebuilding

Also on Tuesday, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the government may allow businesses damaged in the riots to suspend tax and social security payments as they rebuild.

Macron met with police officers on Monday to thank them for their work during the unrest. He suggested quick-fire fines for the parents of minors caught committing acts of vandalism or robberies.

"With the first crime, we need to find a way of sanctioning the families financially and easily," he was quoted by Le Parisien newspaper as saying.

More than 1,200 of some 4,000 arrested since Friday are minors, the Justice Ministry said.

Macron hopes to "start the painstaking, long-term work needed to understand the deeper reasons that led to these events". But he had reportedly failed to find "unanimity" at the meeting as right-wing and left-wing officials traded blames.

The divide in French society is apparent as the donations for the family of the police officer responsible for the killing of Nahel have outperformed those of his victim.

The crowd-funding campaign by far-right media personality Jean Messiha for the police officer's family has topped 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million) with money from more than 80,000 people, as compared with the 415,000 euros raised by Nahel's family from only 20,000 people as of Wednesday morning.

The police officer is now in prison and has been charged with voluntary manslaughter.

Agencies contributed to this story.