A new reality tends to take shape in France, as for the 5th night in a row major cities turn into battlegrounds and clashes between security forces and angry citizens. The death of 17-year-old Naher by a police officer was the last straw, French media reports, as the reactions are not only related to the specific incident, which was added to the existing discontent after the presidential decree on the rise in age limits pensions, the precision that eats away at the income of the average Frenchman and the widening of inequalities.

France’s major cities are turning into fortresses and war zones for the 5th night as, as the interior minister announced, 45,000 special forces police and armored police will be redeployed in all major countries on Saturday night.

Already in Marseille, Lyon, Saint-Etienne, public transport has stopped early and shops have closed. In Marseille, public transport stopped at 18:00. Intercity networks stopped at 3:30 p.m., as did self-service bicycles and the 35 parking spaces managed by the Marseille metropolis. In Saint-Etienne, public transport was suspended at 2 p.m., while traders were asked to close their businesses.

In Paris, the capital of France, public transport pulled the handbrake from 9 pm. As announced, this measure will be in effect for the next 24 hours, until further notice.

The French justice minister has hinted that there will be sanctions for the parents of underage children who take part in the riots, stressing that there will be severe penalties.

The damage is already too great. According to the first assessment by the French Ministry of Economy, 200 shopping malls, 200 large retail stores, 250 tobacconists and 250 bank branches have been destroyed so far. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire on Saturday called on insurance companies to compensate affected retailers and entrepreneurs quickly and with the lowest discounts.

“The compensation must arrive as quickly as possible,” Le Maire said, adding that this includes around 250 tobacconists, 250 banks and 200 supermarkets. “We have asked insurers to be as simple as possible in handling the procedures,” the French finance minister said.

The situation in France appears to be at a critical level now, which forced French President Emmanuel Macron to postpone his planned visit to Germany. Mr Macron has been kept informed of developments and has asked the government to do everything it can to limit the unrest. In fact, as a next step, it is not ruled out that the country will be declared a “state of emergency”, so that more measures to suppress and restrict traffic can be applied.