The French government asked this Sunday to avoid generalizations about the French police, after the death, this Tuesday, of the young Nahel in a “stop operation”, and guaranteed that, in case of abuse, justice will investigate.
“You have to be careful not to make generalizations based on a specific situation. This is the message, I believe, that our security forces that are mobilized on the ground must listen to, ”defended the French government, according to statements by the spokesman. voice of the executive, Olivier Véran, to the public channel FranceInfo.
Asked about the use of force by the security forces, especially since a legal reform that expanded the justified use of weapons in 2017, the government spokesman stressed that justice is working.
“Where there were failures, where it was excessive, where it was inappropriate, there is an investigation by the General Inspectorate and there is justice,” Véran argued.
The same position had already been underlined on Friday by the government of Emmanuel Macron, after being censured by the UN Human Rights Office, which called for a serious approach to “the deep problems of racism and discrimination” by law enforcement. , something Paris flatly rejected.
But regarding the death of Nahel, a minor of Arab descent who was shot dead by police last Tuesday in Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris, the government spokesman admitted that it is a “human drama that needs a response.” of the judicial system”. .
Véran also analyzed the situation in the country after five consecutive nights of riots, in which the majority of young people participated, including some 13 and 14-year-olds, and the unequal conditions and lack of opportunities in many popular neighborhoods that served as a breeding ground for this violence.
In this sense, he defended the measures taken by Macron in the last five years.
“I don’t understand how 12/13 year olds can be in the middle of a city at 3 am, far from home, with a metal bar in hand,” he observed.
Parallel to these statements, the French Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne, and the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, traveled to the city of L’Haÿ-les-Roses (on the southern outskirts of Paris), whose mayor, Vincent Jeanbrun, He was the target, he considered, of an “attack” on his residence.
While he was working at City Hall, individuals wanted for attempted murder drove a burning car into the house where his wife and two children, ages five and seven, were staying. One of the children had to be treated for injuries, as did the mother, who broke her leg.
Local authorities in France today announced a demonstration for Monday to protest the attack on the mayor of L’Hay-les-Roses, in what is considered the most serious incident recorded against a public official in the five nights of unrest that followed. to young people. the death of man.
Jeanbrun, who was coordinating security at City Hall at the time, described what happened as an “indescribably cowardly assassination attempt” and a “true milestone of horror and ignominy.”
French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne condemned the attack on behalf of the French government. In response to the attack, the president of the Association of French Mayors (AMF), David Lisnard, called a demonstration for Monday at 12:00 noon in front of the country’s town halls.
“The AMF decided to call on elected officials and the population to mobilize. We don’t give up and that’s why tomorrow [segunda-feira]At noon, we decided with all the mayors of France to call a demonstration in the town hall squares, where we will make noise before continuing our daily work to restore order,” he said in statements broadcast by TF1.
According to the most recent official data, during the night from Saturday to Sunday at least 719 people were arrested, 45 police officers were injured, 871 were set on fire in the streets and 74 buildings were damaged.
Despite the still high figures, the French Ministry of the Interior confirmed that tonight was “quieter” than the previous ones.
This Sunday, at 7:30 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. in Lisbon), Macron plans to discuss the situation at the Élysée Palace with some of his ministers.
Source: TSF
