The death of a 17-year-old boy, shot by police during a traffic stop in Nanterre (on the outskirts of Paris), sparked a wave of violence in France after a video questioned officers’ version of what happened. In the clashes, from Tuesday to Wednesday, 31 people were arrested, 24 police officers were injured and 42 vehicles were set on fire. The young man’s mother called for a “white march” in honor of her son this afternoon, near the place where he was killed.
Nahel was stopped by two police officers after allegedly violating several traffic rules, during which he was shot in the chest. Authorities indicated that a 38-year-old officer, who is in pre-trial detention pending investigation for voluntary manslaughter, allegedly fired for driving the car towards him. A version that Florian M., who according to colleagues is not a “hothead”, maintained at the first interrogation.
But the video, circulating on social media, shows the two officers standing next to the parked car, one pointing a gun at the driver. Someone is heard saying, “You’re going to be shot in the head,” and it’s not clear who said those words. When the car starts abruptly, the cop fires. The vehicle would then hit a pole, apprehending a passenger – also a minor – and causing another to flee.
According to the French press, Nahel (who did not have a driver’s license) was already known to the authorities for other cases in which he failed to comply with traffic controls – the last time over the weekend. The family’s lawyer (he was the son of a single mother, with whom he lived) says this does not count for the case and that he was simply a “pizza delivery boy” who was killed at the hands of the police. I’ve been playing rugby for three years.
The case took place on Tuesday morning and the protests didn’t last long, getting worse overnight and until dawn. More than 2,000 riot police were deployed this Wednesday to try to prevent another night of violence, but by noon there were already new incidents.
“Unforgivable”
French President Emmanuel Macron called for calm and said so the teen’s death is “inexplicable and unforgivable” – words criticized by police unions. The president also said he hoped that justice “does its work quickly and that the truth can be revealed without delay”.. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne spoke in the Senate of an intervention “that clearly does not seem to comply with the rules of action”.
The spokeswoman for the parliamentary group of the National Assembly, Marine Le Pen, called Macron’s statements “excessive”, recalling that it is for justice to decide. He favored “the presumption of legitimate defense for law enforcement”, noting that “the police in several neighborhoods no longer have the slightest authority and that puts lives at risk”. Insubmissive France leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon defended “police reform”.
Nahel’s death is the second of a young man during a traffic check in 2023. Two weeks ago, in the early hours of the morning, another 19-year-old was killed in the suburbs of Angoulême after allegedly trying to escape and an officer in the legs. Just as Nahel succumbed to his injuries after being shot in the chest
Last year, a record 13 people were killed by police during these types of traffic checks, a figure that authorities and police unions attribute to a more dangerous driving style, but which experts say is due to the 2017 amendment to the law on theft. road safety. use of firearms by officers.
Until then, if the police, like everyone else, had had to prove self-defense, after the law was passed they could shoot at a vehicle “the occupants of which are likely to commit attacks on the life or physical integrity” of the officers while fleeing or third parties. The use of weapons is permitted by law only “in cases of absolute necessity and strictly proportionate”. Some argue that, in practice, police officers can fire the gun as long as the driver refuses to pull over and they believe their safety is at risk.
In the margins of Nahel’s death, a rescue worker who was called to the scene and who was filmed criticizing the police – reportedly not the officer involved – was also placed in protective custody for threats. “Nanterre will pick you up at home,” he said. For its part, the government filed a complaint against a group of police officers (French police) who wrote in a message on Twitter: “Bravo to colleagues who opened fire on a 17-year-old criminal. By neutralizing the vehicle, they protected his life and the other people on the street. The only ones responsible for the death of this bandit are the parents, unable to raise their children.”
Source: DN
