French authorities called for calm on Wednesday after a night of violence in the Paris region after 17-year-old Nahel was killed by a police officer after she refused to comply.
• Also read: A young driver was killed for refusing to comply and a police officer was arrested
This drama caused strong emotions in France, from the head of state Emmanuel Macron to the captain of the French football team Kylian Mbappé.
MPs and members of the government observed a minute’s silence in the National Assembly earlier in the afternoon to commemorate the teenager.
Police circles initially said that a police officer fired when a vehicle drove into two police cyclists in Nanterre in the Hauts-de-Seine department (west of Paris) on Tuesday.
But video shared on social media, authenticated by AFP, showed one of the two police officers holding the driver at gunpoint and firing at point-blank range as the car restarted. We hear “You’re going to get a bullet in the head” without being able to identify the author of this sentence.
Nahel M. died shortly thereafter from a blow to the chest.
“The shocking images (…) show an intervention that clearly does not comply with the rules of engagement of our law enforcement agencies,” said Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, while President Macron denounced an act as “inexplicable” and “inexcusable”.
AFP
Major police unions have criticized the executive’s statements, emphasizing the “presumption of innocence”.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced in the evening that 2,000 police officers would be mobilized in Paris and the inner suburbs, 800 more than the night before.
In Nanterre, where the clashes were fiercest, “several public and private buildings, including schools, suffered significant and unacceptable damage, sometimes irreparable,” lamented the town hall, calling for an end to “this destructive spiral”.
AFP
Outside the municipal health center, Juliette, 55 (who has asked for anonymity), says she “didn’t sleep” because of the clashes near her home and that she feels “sadness, anger and incomprehension”. Nahel “wasn’t a delinquent,” she said, adding that she’d met him many times at a neighborhood recreation center.
“Trust between young people and the police has been broken, in both directions,” said Fatiha Abdouni, co-founder of a local association that supports mothers.
The clashes, which began in the late afternoon, ended around 3:30 a.m. and spread to several communities around Paris.
AFP
According to a police source, some rioting and acts of vandalism were also observed in the provinces.
According to the Interior Ministry, a total of 31 people were arrested, 24 members of the security forces were slightly injured and around 40 cars were burned.
Nahel’s mother called for a white march in front of the Hauts-de-Seine prefecture at 2 p.m. on Thursday.
This case reignited controversy over law enforcement actions in France, which saw a record 13 deaths in 2022 after roadside stops failed to comply.
“I have pain in my France. An unacceptable situation,” wrote Paris-Saint-Germain (PSG) star footballer Kylian Mbappé on Twitter.
I’m sorry for my France. 💙🤍💔💔💔
An unacceptable situation.
All my thoughts are with Naël’s family and his loved ones, this little angel who left way too soon.— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) June 28, 2023
Another France international, FC Barcelona defender Jules Koundé, lamented a “dramatic” situation.
“May justice worthy of the name honor the memory of this child,” actor Omar Sy tweeted.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and loved ones of Naël who passed away this morning at the age of 17.
killed by a police officer in Nanterre.May justice worthy of the name honor the memory of this child. pic.twitter.com/mdNp6Aju80
–Omar Sy (@OmarSy) June 27, 2023
The 38-year-old police officer suspected of the fatal shooting is being questioned by the State Police Inspectorate General as part of an ongoing investigation into first-degree murder. His police custody has been extended, as we learned from the Nanterre public prosecutor’s office on Wednesday.
The tragedy also provoked numerous reactions from political leaders.
“Enough ! These murders claim the authority of the state! “This police force must be completely re-established, its killers must be punished,” tweeted La France insoumise (radical left) leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
The representatives of the Rassemblement National (far-right) Jordan Bardella and Sébastien Chenu invoked a “tragedy” and called for “the timing of the investigation” and “the presumption of innocence to be respected”.