France Bans Fireworks Sales Amid Fears Of Renewed Violence Ahead Of Bastille Day

France has banned the sale, possession, and transport of fireworks ahead of Bastille Day following protests sparked by the killing of a teenager by the police. According to BBC, the government issued a decree on Sunday prohibiting "pyrotechnic articles" for the 14 July celebrations.

Bastille Day, which is France's national day, is celebrated annually on July 14 with spectacular firework displays organized countrywide.

“In order to prevent the risk of serious disturbances to public order during the July 14 festivities, the sale, possession, transport, and use of pyrotechnical articles and fireworks is banned until July 15 inclusively,” said a government decree published in the Official Journal on Sunday.

However, the ban does not extend to professionals or municipalities that are organising traditional fireworks for the Bastille Day celebrations, it added.

Notably, fireworks were used in some protests that erupted in France after a police officer shot dead 17-year-old Nahel M on June 27. 

Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne told Le Parisien newspaper that many people were "quite worried" about the possibility of fresh incidents of violence during the national holiday. In addition to the restrictions on fireworks, a "massive" security presence would also be deployed in order to keep the peace and "to protect the French during these two sensitive days".

The police killing of Nahel Merzouk, who had Algerian roots, sparked France's worst urban violence since 2005. More than 3,700 people were taken into police custody in connection with the protests since his death, including at least 1,160 minors, according to official figures.

The officer who fired at Nehal will be investigated for voluntary homicide after an initial investigation concluded that "the conditions for the legal use of the weapon were not met." The accused officer, however, claims that he fired the fatal shot out of fear that the boy would run someone over with the car.