A French police officer shot and killed a 17-year-old driver in Nanterre near Paris on Tuesday after refusing to submit to a check. Riots broke out in many parts of the country after the incident. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 24 policemen were injured.
Nahel, 17, was shot dead by a police officer after the teenager refused to surrender while driving a Mercedes. The boy also tried to run over the policeman.
Footage posted online shows a police officer shooting the teen at close range through the driver’s side window of the car.
A policeman shot a teenager in NanterreReuters
Riot outbreak
The shooting of the teenager sparked riots in Asnieres, Colombes, Suresnes, Clichy-sous-Bois and Mantes-la-Jolie. However, the main clashes between demonstrators and police took place in Nanterre, where Nahel was shot dead.
Damage after the riots in Nanterre near Paris PAP/EPA/Mohammed Badra
Bus shelters, garbage cans and buildings at one construction site were on fire, where firefighters formed a security cordon to prevent gas cylinders from exploding, BFM TV reported. There were also several fires along the RER A tracks between Nanterre and Rueil-Malmaison.
Damage after the riots in Nanterre near Paris PAP/EPA/Mohammed Badra
The Ministry of the Interior of France mobilized 1,200 policemen and gendarmes to suppress the riots. Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Wednesday that 24 policemen had been injured. 31 people were detained and over 40 cars were burned.
Macron: an unforgivable death
French MPs held a minute’s silence on Wednesday for Nahel’s death, while the left criticizes the police for brutality. “Wearing a uniform is an expression of duty and leading by example,” said Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, telling Parliament on Wednesday that “the intervention was clearly against the rules.”
French President Emmanuel Macron appealed on Wednesday during a visit to Marseilles for “appeasement” and “justice done”. “We need peace everywhere, we don’t need conflagration,” said the head of state. Macron also expressed solidarity with the victim’s family, whose death he described as inexcusable.
Damage after the riots in Nanterre near Paris PAP/EPA/Mohammed Badra
One of the main police unions said on Wednesday that Macron’s remarks were “unthinkable”. The president, like some political leaders, artists and others, disregarded the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary, condemning our colleague even before the verdict, the unions wrote in a communiqué.
Celebrities and athletes reacted to Nahel’s death on social media. After footballer Kylian Mbappe and actor Omar Sy, rapper Sadek supported the 17-year-old’s family. On Twitter, the artist assures that all profits from his next concert, i.e. 9 thousand. euros, will give to Nahel’s family. – It’s not much, but everyone has to act on their own scale – emphasized the rapper.
Nahel’s mother called for a white march against police violence on Thursday.
Main photo source: Reuters