In their line of riot vans, the police sat prepared on the sting of Nanterre.
They had been intentionally stationed away from the centre of the neighbourhood to the west of Paris - they know they now cannot go in there with out inciting but extra confrontation.
It was right here that one in every of their colleagues shot lifeless 17-year-old Nehal Merzouk final Tuesday morning.
France riots newest: Police stand guard in Marseille
Over the weekend the violence and looting have subsided right here and throughout Paris, however it's an uneasy calm.
Small teams of lookout youths nonetheless loiter on the approaches into Nanterre's centre which is plagued by burnt out autos and scorched tarmac on the roads.
They are watching everybody who ventures in, guarding their neighborhood.
In the early hours of Monday, we noticed the armed police simply monitoring the scenario from a distance.
They weren't getting into until they actually wanted to - in all probability hoping the plea from Nehal's grandmother for the violence to cease could be some of the efficient methods of damping down the flames of discontent.
For now, not less than, it seems to have had an impact.
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The hordes of kids who gathered in central Paris on Saturday evening wearing black with face coverings had been nowhere to be seen on Sunday.
The squads of police motorcycle riders had been able to intercept troublemakers once more however noticed a a lot quieter evening.
The water canon car was parked simply off the Champs Elysees, its tanks remained full.
The massive police presence throughout France seems to be working - they're reasserting some authority, but it surely all feels so fragile.
One additional mistake or second of miscalculation from only one police officer might reignite all of it.
The scars from this final week run deep, the clean-up and rebuild will take months however the lengthy operating divisions that underpin all of it are going nowhere.
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