Violent protests in France spread to Switzerland

More than 100 protesters have taken to the streets of Lausanne as protests sparked by the killing of 17-year-old French-Algerian Nahel M. by police in France spread to Switzerland.

Although nowhere near the scale of the protests in France, protesters attacked shops and police forces, throwing stones and Molotov cocktails on Saturday evening.

"Echoing the events and riots raging in France, more than a hundred youths gathered in central Lausanne and damaged businesses," local police said in a statement.

The violence began "following several calls on social media", police said, and "several shop windows were smashed".

Seven people, including six minors aged 15-17, were arrested during the riots in the French-speaking city.

No injuries were reported during the violent riots, for which around 50 police officers were deployed.

Racial tensions

France has seen a wave of violent protests since a police officer shot dead 17-year-old Nahel M. point blank after the teen allegedly failed to comply with police during a traffic stop on Tuesday in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris, France.

Angry protesters have torched cars, damaged infrastructure and clashed with police in an outpouring of rage over the killing of Nahel, who has Algerian origins.

His death was captured on video, which spread on social media and fueled anger over police violence against minorities, exposing severe racial tensions in France.

The protests also spread to Belgium on Thursday, where 63 people have been arrested so far.