PARIS (AP) 鈥 French fighter jets trailed red-white-and-blue smoke over Paris monuments, families held picnics and firefighters hosted holiday balls around France to celebrate Bastille Day on Friday, a moment of much-needed festivity after mass protests, riots and political divisions that have riven the country this year.
Not everyone was feeling the spirit of 鈥渓iberty, equality and fraternity鈥 that the Traditional fireworks displays were banned in some towns, and trams and buses halted after dark across France to prevent new unrest in underprivileged neighborhoods. And an exceptional 130,000 police were deployed around the country to maintain order.
This year, the celebrations marking the start of the French Revolution on July 14, 1789 come in the wake of the nation鈥檚 most serious urban violence in nearly 20 years, following the of a teenager with North African roots that laid bare anger over entrenched inequality and racial discrimination.
Fighter jets and military helicopters whooshed Friday above the site where 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk was killed last month, on Nelson Mandela Square in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, on their way toward the Arc de Triomphe and the VIP guests watching the grandiose Bastille Day parade. Nanterre's streets were unusually quiet as local residents gathered to watch the flyby.
Just a few kilometers (miles) away, crowds lined the Champs-Elysees to watch the annual parade, which included 6,500 people marching, 94 planes and helicopters, 219 ground vehicles, 200 horses and 86 dogs this year.
, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi watching alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. About 240 Indian troops led the march, and French-made Indian warplanes joined the aerial display. France often showcases international partners on Bastille Day.
鈥 central to last year鈥檚 Bastille Day celebrations 鈥 echoed in this year鈥檚 events as well. Vehicles on display included the Caesar anti-missile batteries that France is providing to Ukraine, and Ukrainian officials were invited to join Macron in the VIP seats. Macron gave a posthumous Legion of Honor award to French journalist Arman Soldin, earlier this year.
Concerts, parties and parades are held in towns and cities around France to commemorate the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789 that marked the start of the French Revolution, and Friday's events were largely festive.
Even in Nanterre, site of last month's police killing, some residents who gathered to watch the holiday flyover saw reasons to celebrate.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a moment of pleasure,鈥 said Aur茅lie V., 38, who accompanied her newborn infant to watch the parade. She spoke on condition her last name not be used because of continued tensions in her neighborhood. 鈥淚 came here to share this with my son, to show the strength of our country.鈥
But signs of malaise remained.
The roses on a roadside memorial to Merzouk had long withered by Friday鈥檚 Bastille Day celebrations. A nearby Monoprix supermarket was still boarded up, and the walls near the intersection where the police shot the teenager were still tagged with words of anger: 鈥淰engeance for Nahel,鈥 anti-police slogan 鈥淎CAB,鈥 and 鈥淒eath to the king,鈥 an apparent dig at what is seen as Macron鈥檚 out-of-touch leadership.
The fatal shooting of Merzouk at point-blank range during a traffic stop, captured on video, sparked several days of clashes with police, the burning of hundreds of buildings and vehicles and the looting of stores in cities and towns around France.
A group of activists and immigrants defied a ban on political gatherings Friday and demonstrated in eastern Paris against a proposed immigration bill that would facilitate deportations.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no equality when we kill a 17-year-old for traffic violations or when we let teenage immigrants sleep in the streets,鈥 said Aim茅e Kiamenga, a 19-year-old activist with the group SOS Racisme. 鈥淔rance has lost its values, and its system is becoming more and more repressive.鈥
The protesters also called for an end to police brutality, which advocates say often targets people with African origins. Many people living in neglected housing projects who trace their roots to former French colonies, like Merzouk, struggle with lack of opportunity and
Macron hasn't directly addressed the issues raised by the killing of Merzouk, focusing instead on supporting hit by violence and boosting police presence to restore calm. A presidential aide said that the unrest violence had 鈥渘o impact鈥欌 on the Bastille Day parade, but noted that the celebrations come 鈥渁t a time when it is necessary to reaffirm national cohesion.鈥
The holiday comes after months of mass protests and strikes earlier this year over a law , which led to a showdown in parliament when Macron's government used special powers to force it through without a vote. Many voters remain angry over the bill and Macron's tactics.
Because unrest tends to spike every year around Bastille Day and because France remains on edge, the government deployed an exceptional 130,000 police Thursday and Friday.
Overnight Thursday to Friday, the Interior Ministry reported 97 people arrested in urban violence and 218 cars set alight around the country. That was slightly lower than last year.
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Bounab reported from Nanterre and Paris.
