Parents of child protesters could face jail, French minister warns

The parents of children who take part in police protests in France could face prosecution, French Minister of Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti said on Saturday.

The minister’s remarks came as French authorities scrambled to quell rioting triggered by the killing of 17-year-old Nahel M. During a police traffic stop.

"Parents who do not take care of their children (under 17 years old) and leave them out at night knowing where they will go, will face two years in prison and a fine of 30,000 euros," Dupond-Moretti said.

The minister added that authorities will crack down on the organisers of protests, who have used social media to mobilise. Dupond-Moretti warned that authorities could request IP addresses to identify users.

"So you're 13, 14, 15, 16 or 17 years old, you're at home and you've posted something on Snapchat, your account will be deleted and you'll be detected and punished. We definitely need to calm down again, that's enough," he said.

Five consecutive nights of rioting have seen protesters - mostly minors - torch cars, damage infrastructure and clash with police in a show of rage at the killing of the French-Algerian teenager on Tuesday.  The shooting was captured on video, which spread on social media and fuelled the anger over police violence against minorities, exposing severe racial tensions in France.

On Sunday, a day after Nahel was laid to rest in his home town near Paris, the interior ministry said police had made 719 arrests overnight, still a provisional tally, after around 1,300 the previous night.