“I want all this to be over. I ask people who are destroying things to stop”, said a grandmother, after the death of her grandson by the police triggered a wave of violent protests in France. appeal this Sunday (02/07) for an end to the violent national protests that were triggered by the episode. “I am telling them [os manifestantes] to stop,” the grandmother, identified as Nadia by French media, told broadcaster BFM TV. “I want all this to be over. I ask people who are destroying things to stop. Don’t destroy the schools”, she said, after five nights of violent protests that have generated tension in France.
She said protesters were using Nahel’s death, which took place in Nanterre last Tuesday, as a pretext to sow more violence and that the family wanted the situation to calm down. “I trust in Justice,” added the grandmother of the dead young man, aged 17 and of Arab descent.
On the other hand, the grandmother condemned the manifestations of support for the policeman who shot the young man. Columnist Jean Messiha, who supported the far-right presidential candidacy of Éric Zemmour in 2022, started a “crowd fund” for the policeman’s family, arguing that he was limited to doing his job and that “he is paying a high price ” for his action. About this campaign, which has already raised 700,000 euros, Nadia said: “My heart hurts”.
After the grandmother’s statements, the mayor of Nanterre, Patrick Jarry, asked the population to follow the appeal of Nahel Merzouk’s family for an end to the protests.
“I know the anguish that has been shared by a large number of inhabitants of our city, since these last few nights, in the face of events. On Saturday, immense emotion ran through Nanterre, at the time of Nahel’s funeral in the Mont-Valérien cemetery. The family asked us not to attend and we obviously respected that request,” Jarry said in a statement.
On the same note, the mayor also thanked the family and friends who organized the funeral ceremony “despite their immense pain, with great dignity”, and also the Ibn Badis mosque and its members “who contributed very effectively to the smooth running of the funeral ceremony in which a considerable attendance took part”. “After this ceremony, the family calls for an end to the violence. I ask the entire population of Nanterre to support this message and to act to ensure that it is respected”, concluded the mayor.
The latest protests after Nahel’s funeral on Saturday were less intense than the previous night, the government said. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 45,000 police would be deployed again on Sunday night. According to the minister, the 2,000 demonstrators who were arrested in recent years are mostly minors. The average age of the group is 17 years old.
Since Nahel was shot, protesters have torched cars and looted stores, but have also targeted state institutions – town halls and police stations. The home of the mayor of L’Hay-les-Roses, near Paris, was attacked while his wife and children slept inside. One of the children had to receive medical attention for injuries, as did the mother, with a broken leg.
This episode provoked strong social indignation and the resounding repudiation of the French political class. “We are not going to let anything go. We will be on the side of the mayors”, said Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne today, on a visit to L’Haÿ-les-Roses.
President Emmanuel Macron has postponed a state visit to Germany due to start on Sunday to deal with the worst crisis in his tenure since “yellow vest” protests brought much of France to a standstill in late 2018.
During the night of yesterday, at least 719 people were arrested, 45 police officers were injured, 871 fires were recorded on public roads and damage to 74 buildings, according to the last official balance available.
jps (AFP, EFE, Lusa)
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