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Nahel died after being shot at pointblank range during a traffic stop
2 hours ago
“Nothing justifies the death of a young person (…). He is inexplicable, unforgivable.”
With these words, French President Emmanuel Macron reacted on Wednesday (28 June) to the news that a 17yearold young man had died the day before during a traffic stop near Nanterre by the police in Paris. .
The President called for “calm and justice to be done.”
However, two days ago, France registered violent protests in the city where the teenager died and in other parts of the country.
At least 150 people were arrested during nationwide protests.
The death of the young man of North African descent, identified only as Nahel, caused great shock, particularly in communities in the poorest suburbs of large cities.
A video of the incident, in which a police officer points a gun at the driver of a car, circulated on social media. A shot is heard and the car stops.
The teenager died from gunshot wounds to the chest, although he was treated by paramedics.
The officer who shot him, claiming he fired because he felt his life was in danger, is again in custody and faces manslaughter charges.
Macron’s soothing words don’t seem to have calmed the mood much, and they also angered the police.
protests and increased security
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The teenager’s death sparked protests and riots in some cities in France
Thousands of security forces were deployed on Wednesday to deal with a second night of unrest.
Around 31 people were arrested in Nanterre, west of Paris, on Tuesday after cars and rubbish bins were set on fire and bus stops were destroyed. Fireworks were set off near a police station. Riot police used tear gas to disperse the protesters, some of whom had erected barricades.
Paris police said they had contained “sporadic episodes” of violence. In Toulouse, protesters started a fire and threw stones at firefighters trying to put out the blaze.
There were also clashes between demonstrators and police in the northern city of Lille.
Macron’s comments were badly received by police unions, who accused the president of being hasty in condemning the officers involved.
The Alliance Police union has called for police officers to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. The police union Unite SGP also commented on political interventions that incite “hatred against the police”.
According to the French press, the police initially said that the teenager drove his car towards them in order to attack them.
However, footage released online and confirmed by AFP news agency shows a police officer pointing his gun through the window at the driver and apparently firing at close range as the car tries to pull away.
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French authorities have increased the police presence on the streets in anticipation of further protests.
Home Secretary Gérald Darmanin said he would take legal action against another union that published what he called an “unacceptable and abhorrent” tweet trying to justify the teenager’s death.
French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne also spoke up and said the police intervention was “not in accordance with the rules”.
Two other young men were in the car at the time of the shooting. One fled and the other, also a minor, was arrested and detained by police.
Nahel became the second person in France this year to be killed in a police shootout during a traffic stop. A record 13 people died this way last year.
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The young man’s family lawyer speaks to the press
manifestation
In a video posted on TikTok, Nahel’s mother Mounia urged people to join her in a march for her son.
“Come everyone, I beg you,” she said. “We’ll all be there.”
After the teenager’s death, authorities launched two separate investigations: one into a possible murder by an officer and another into the driver’s failure to stop the vehicle and an alleged attempt to kill a police officer.
Paris Police Chief Laurent Nuñez told French television broadcaster BFMTV that the officer’s actions “raise questions” although he suspected the officer may have felt threatened.
The 17yearold’s family lawyer, Yassine Bouzrou, insisted it was an improper defense and told the same broadcaster that the video “clearly showed a police officer killing a young man in cold blood”.
He added that the family had filed a complaint against the police for “lying”.