France is shocked after the death on Tuesday of a 17-year-old boy who died after being shot by the police. The case sparked multiple riots in a Paris suburb, as well as condemnation from French politicians and celebrities, including Kylian Mbappé.
The drama, which relaunched the recurring controversy over police violence in France, happened on Tuesday morning in Nanterre, on the western outskirts of Paris, during a police check on a young man who was driving a yellow car.
Naël M., a 17-year-old boy, was driving a rental car without a permit when he was stopped by a couple of policemen.
The images of a video recorded by a witness show that one of the agents pointed his gun at him through the driver’s window, while the other spoke with him.
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The clip also shows how one of the two agents shoots him as soon as the young man started the vehicle to flee, without threatening the integrity of the police. In the recording it is heard “you are going to receive a bullet in the head”, although it is not clear who says it.
The young man’s escape ended a few dozen meters further on, when the car crashed into a pole. The victim died shortly after after being hit in the chest.
France-Nanterre :
WHEN THE POLICE ARE AGAINST THE CHASSE!Naël, 17 ans abattu au volant de sa voiture par un policier lors d’un refus d’obtempérer. 😭😭
6/27/2023 pic.twitter.com/Mk14Mgpirl
— Emmanuel NM 7 (@Thesaron3) June 27, 2023
The images that circulate of the events discredit the initial version of the police officers involved, according to which they would have acted in legitimate defense.
The 38-year-old officer who allegedly fired the shot is in police custody. Justice has already opened two investigations: one for voluntary homicide by a public official and another for the victim’s refusal to obey orders and attempted voluntary homicide against an official.
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The events caused an outbreak of riots in Nanterre on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, which resulted in 31 detainees, 24 agents slightly injured and about 40 cars set on fire, according to the authorities.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced that they will deploy some 2,000 police officers and gendarmes this Wednesday in the western suburbs of Paris to prevent further disturbances.
Security forces in France are often the target of accusations of abuse or excessive use of force, such as during the chaotic Champions League final in 2022 or the past protests against a pension reform.
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In May, several countries raised concerns at the United Nations about police violence in France, as well as racial discrimination, during the periodic review that UN countries undergo every four years.
But this new tragedy provoked a wave of indignation, especially when 13 people lost their lives in 2022 in similar situations during police checkpoints on the road.
“The death penalty no longer exists in France. No policeman has the right to kill, except in self-defense,” French politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon tweeted.
French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed his solidarity this Wednesday with the family of the minor shot dead. In a statement in Marseille, where he is on a three-day visit, Macron insisted that “nothing justifies the death of a young man.”
The president expressed on behalf of “the entire nation” his “excitement and “affection for Naël and his family”, and stressed that his death “is inexplicable and inexcusable.”
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Macron said that he wanted Justice to act quickly, but with the serenity it needs to find the truth. “In a context like this – he added – affection and respect for Naël and his family are needed, calm so that there is Justice and also calm everywhere because we do not need the situation to catch fire.”
A direct allusion to the riots last night in Nanterre and other cities on the outskirts of Paris and the possibility of a repeat.
#Nanterre Selon les avocats de la famille de Naël M., 17 ans, l’exploitation de la bande-son de la vidéo des faits montre que l’auteur du tir mortel a bien annoncé son intention de faire feu en criant : «Je vais te metre une balle dans la tête»➡️ https://t.co/OWcMPe4Abn pic.twitter.com/oORcNDDUwG
— Le Parisien (@le_Parisien) June 27, 2023
Soccer players and celebrities also joined the criticism asking for a “dignified justice”. “My France hurts. An unacceptable situation,” tweeted the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Kylian Mbappé, who in 2020 already reacted to the beating by police officers of a black music producer, Michel Zecler, in Paris.
Naël’s mother called a demonstration for this Thursday before the Nanterre prefecture and, far from the calls for calm from the Government and from a part of the political leaders, he called for “a revolt” for his son.
In the last few hours, #ViolencesPolicieres (police violence) has been trending on Twitter in France.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With AFP and EFE
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