Frrance football captain, Kylian Mbappe, has called on his fellow compatriots to end the raging violence as protests soak the country in the aftermath of the death of a youngster shot by the French police.
On Tuesday, Nahel M, 17, was killed as he drove away from a traffic stop, causing another night of violence on the streets of France.
“Violence solves nothing, especially when it inevitably turns against those who are expressing it,” Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe wrote on Instagram.
“Many of us are from working class neighbourhoods and we share the feelings of pain and sadness. But the sadness is compounded by having to helplessly witness this process of self-destruction”.
Les Bleus say they “understand what’s at the core of the anger” but add: “Violence does not solve anything, even less so when it inevitably turns against those who express it… You are destroying your own properties, your neighbourhoods, your cities.
“The time of violence must give way to that of mourning, dialogue and reconstruction,” the statement reads.
The 24-year-old advocated for “peaceful and constructive” demonstrations.
Nearly 1,000 people have been arrested across France in a fourth night of rioting after a Nahel was killed by a police officer.
The killing of the teenager has triggered repeated demonstrations in Marseille, Lyon, Grenoble and some parts of Paris.
Meanwhile, authorities in the UK have warned potential visitors to France to watch out for travel disruptions amid rioting in the country, BBC reported.
In new travel advice on Friday, the government called on Britons to avoid the riots, saying their locations and timings were “unpredictable”.
The Foreign Office cautioned that there could be disruption to road travel and local transport, and possible curfews may be imposed by some local authorities in France.