Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris, stopped this Saturday afternoon to pay a final tribute to Nahel, the boy whose murder by a member of the security forces sparked a wave of uprising that saw clashes with police and the vandalism of institutions and government buildings in several French cities.
The lack of space in the Central Mosque of Nanterre did not stop the hundreds of people who wanted to participate in Nahel’s farewell. About 300 who could not enter knelt in the middle of Avenue Georges Clémenceau during the Salat al-Janazah (funeral prayer).
Elements of the mosque circulated among the crowd attending the ceremony outside, alert to possible disrespect and anyone wanting to capture the moment with the “smartphone.”
“Turn it off, respect the family! We won’t leave until we put the mobile phone away,” was heard several times.
“It’s strange, I don’t see the police… It may have been an agreement with the local authorities and religious authorities,” Michael Maschek told the Lusa agency after the funeral procession left the mosque.
Michael, who has lived in Nanterre for 30 years and sits on top of a wall in sunglasses, a blue ‘t-shirt’ and jeans shorts, said he is still shocked by what happened on Tuesday: “It was 100 meters from my house.”
He does not support the violence that hit Nanterre at the same time and that has spread to other parts of the country, but he does not denounce the protesters who are “just children”.
Throughout Avenue Georges Clémenceau, there were traces of looting, destroyed restaurants and public offices. No restaurants were open this Saturday and public transport was not running.
Michael’s conversation with the Lusa agency was abruptly interrupted by two men who approached the professor with some hostility for talking to a reporter, not stopping to explain their anger to the reporters.
“It’s not their fault. French journalists only come here when there’s a problem and call them terrorists, it’s normal for them to feel that way,” said the professor.
Michael Maschek only left the house to see the funeral ceremonies: “It’s my neighborhood, I know every corner of it and every person.”
I didn’t know Nahel personally and while he was critical of violence, Michael felt there are similarities between what happened this week and the May 2020 murder of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The violence that followed, he argued, is the result of a government that preferred to turn a blind eye to those in greater difficulty and abandon them. Negligence, according to the teacher, led to annoyance. Only the fuse was missing.
“This is like gunpowder, it just takes a little fire. The social problems here and elsewhere are so big, but they are so hidden,” he added, blaming Emmanuel Macron’s executive and those before him gave.
Just in front of the mosque, leaning against the wall of a building, stands a woman, wearing a beige ‘chador’ (Islamic garment) who agreed to speak, but preferred to do so on condition of anonymity.
“I’m their neighbor, I knew him and his mother, and he wasn’t a delinquent. He was just a kid,” she complained, visibly moved.
This Nanterre resident said she was outraged by Nahel’s murder, but this was in no way consistent with the level of violence she had witnessed in recent days.
“I have three kids, the oldest is 16. I didn’t let him leave the house to be a part of this,” he added.
The funeral procession of the 17-year-old young man left the mosque towards the last moment of the ceremonies, accompanied by dozens of cars and an “escort” of motorcycles, as well as dozens of people who walked on foot for more than 20 minutes, to be parting gifts.
A little bit everywhere, the atmosphere in Nanterre betrays a sense of impunity by the security forces and a biased view of the media. At least, these are the most consensual ideas among the local community.
On the last night alone, the fourth since the protests began, more than 1,300 people were arrested and at least 79 police officers were injured, according to the latest figures from the French Interior Ministry.
Nahel Merzouk was killed for allegedly disobeying an order to stop the vehicle he was riding in.
Source: DN
