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Flowers were left at the place where Nahel died
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- author, writing
- Rolle, from BBC News Brazil
2 hours ago
The murder of 17yearold Nahel M. has sparked riots in cities across France, as well as in the city of Nanterre, west of Paris, where he grew up.
An only child raised by his mother, he worked as a caterer and played rugby.
He studied in Suresnes, not far from where he lives, to train as an electrician.
Those who knew him said he was very popular in Nanterre, where he lived with his mother Mounia, and apparently never knew his father.
He died just after 9am on Tuesday after being shot in the chest at pointblank range as he fled during a police traffic stop while driving a Mercedes.
He had no criminal record but was known to the police.
“What should I do now?” asked her mother. “I dedicated everything to him,” she said. “I only have one, I don’t have 10 [filhos]. He was my life, my best friend.
His grandmother speaks of him as a “good, kind boy”.
“Refusing to stop doesn’t give you a license to kill,” said Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist Party. “All children of the Republic have the right to justice.”
“Nothing justifies the death of a young person (…). He is inexplicable, unforgivable.”
With these words, French President Emmanuel Macron reacted to the news of the young man’s death on Wednesday (28 June).
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.
More than 6,000 people attended the vigil in the city of Nanterre along with his mother.
French media reported that some people who wanted to join the march feared further violence would ensue. One woman told the BBC the incident made her question how much she could trust the authorities.
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Protests broke out in various cities in France
As authorities anticipate another night of violence, it has been announced that there will be curfews in some parts of Paris in addition to the closure of tram and bus services.
One of these will be applied from tonight until Monday 3 July between 21:00 local time (16:00 GMT) and 06:00 in the Clamart suburb, southwest of Paris.
“Clamart is a safe and peaceful city and we are committed to keeping it that way,” a statement on the city’s website said.
Meanwhile, the city of Lille will also suspend some public transport tonight. Trains and buses will stop running from 8 p.m., according to a statement from the Lille authorities.
Nahl’s life
Nahel has spent the last three years playing for Pirates of Nanterre rugby club.
He took part in an integration program for young people with school difficulties, run by an association called Ovale Citoyen.
The program aimed to get people from underprivileged areas to learn, and Nahel trained to be an electrician.
Jeff Puech, president of Ovale Citizens, was one of the adults who knew him best. He had seen him a few days ago and he spoke of a “boy who used rugby to survive”.
“He was someone who wanted to fit in socially and professionally, not a kid who dealt drugs or enjoyed juvenile delinquency,” Puech told Le Parisien.
He praised the teenager’s “exemplary attitude” which is a far cry from the nasty character assassination portrayed on social media.
He met Nahel while living with his mother in the VieuxPont suburb of Nanterre.
It did not go unnoticed that his family was of Algerian origin. “May Allah grant you mercy,” read a banner hanging above the Paris ring road in front of the Parc des Princes stadium.
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Nahel’s mother protests
“The judiciary is responsible for the murder of Nahel,” says lawyer
Earlier, the lawyer for the murdered teenager Nahel spoke to the BBC World Service’s Newshour programme.
The police officer who shot Nahel has already been charged with first degree murder. Nahel’s lawyer Yassine Bouzrou said impunity for police officers in France is part of the problem.
Bouzrou said the justice system and not racism was to blame for what happened to the 17yearold.
“We have a law and a judicial system that protects police officers and creates a culture of impunity in France,” she told Newshour, adding that similar cases over the years have shown that “the judicial system is still not working for the victims.” ” throughout the country .