The Know Daily - Monday 3 July 2023

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An “eye-catching, immersive and Instagram-friendly” display by Yayoi Kusama - the Japanese artist known for her iconic polka dot creations - has launched in an enormous warehouse in Manchester. The city’s new £211m arts venue Aviva Studios - which had a soft launch on Thursday ahead of the official opening in October - is said to be the UK’s largest new national cultural project since London’s Tate Modern opened in 2000.

🇫🇷 France latest

Protests over the police shooting of a 17-year-old appear to be easing, following five nights of widespread unrest and violence.

What sparked the protests?
Teenager Nahel M was fatally shot by police on Tuesday following a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. The officer who opened fire is now under formal investigation for voluntary homicide, with French prosecutors arguing that the use of the firearm was not legally justified.

“Nahel was of North African descent,” explained The Independent, and the shooting has “fed longstanding complaints of police violence and systematic racism”.

What happened over the weekend?
Violent protests took place across the country on Saturday, but attention has focused on an attack in the Parisian suburb of L’Haÿ-les-Roses, where rioters rammed a burning carinto the home of the mayor.

On Sunday night, Nahel’s grandmother pleaded for an end to the violence. The woman, identified as Nadia, told a French news channel that the rioters were “using Nahel as an excuse”. “We want things to calm down,” she said.

The Times reported that her plea came amid a “small sense of optimism” that calm appeared to be returning after five nights of unrest. 49 people were arrested nationwide on Sunday, down significantly from 719 the day before and 1,300 on Friday.

What next?
The French government has reacted with anger to allegations by UN human rights officials that “deep issues of racism and discrimination” plague the country’s law enforcement.

President Emmanuel Macron is set to meet the leaders of both houses of parliament later today, as a heavy police presence remains in cities across France. Restrictions are expected to continue on street parties and big public gatherings in the Paris area for the next week.