After the shooting murder of 17-year-old Nahel M during a traffic check in Nanterre, Paris, and other French towns erupted in violence for a third night. Police used tear gas as protesters threw stones, pyrotechnics, and burned cars. As President Emmanuel Macron seeks to quell public outrage, the shooting officer was arrested and charged with voluntary murder.
Over 180 arrests were made, and 40,000 cops were deployed across France, including 5,000 in the Paris suburbs, to avoid more violence. Mounia, Nahel’s mother, led a peaceful march in his honor to start the day. Tear gas near Nahel’s shooting location sparked protester-police skirmishes.
Nahel’s mother blamed the officer who killed her son, not the whole police force. Like the 2005 Paris riots, demonstrations swept across France. After being detected in a bus lane, Nahel was shot after failing to halt his automobile with two occupants. Nahel was killed by a close-range officer’s shot through the driver’s window.
Due to Nahel’s reported traffic offenses, the officer believed a car chase may endanger him or others. Police knew Nahel had previously disobeyed traffic stop orders. The family’s attorneys called it an “execution,” reigniting France’s police brutality debate. In an emergency meeting, President Macron condemned the murders and the attacks on public institutions and other crimes.
The interior minister said the state will respond forcefully even without a declaration of emergency. The conflicts have injured several, and Nanterre residents fear further bloodshed and property destruction.
