French riots

“police shot dead 17 year old boy”

T he riots in France continued after the anger of

the residents over the action of the police
shooting dead a teenager named Nahel M. (17)
when he was stopped. The shooting occurred on
Tuesday (27/6/2023), and since then riots have broken
out in various cities in France. Tens of thousands of
police were deployed in cities across France on
Saturday.
On the morning of June 27, 2023, a teenager named Nahel M (17 years old) who is of
North African, Algerian and Moroccan descent to be precise, was driving a car in Nanterre.
He is considered to have disobeyed a police order to stop his car for a traffic violation. The
teenager was reportedly driving a car in the busway lane, the police asked the driver of the
car to pull over and park his car to the side of the road. However, the teenager continued
walking without following the police’s orders. As the car got away, one of the police officers
shot at point blank range through the driver’s window.
Nahel died as a result of a single shot that penetrated his left arm and chest. Public
prosecutor Pascal Prache said the police officer admitted to having opened fire fearing he or
someone else would be injured after the teenager was suspected of having committed several
traffic offences. Lawyers for officer Laurent-Franck Lienard said his client aimed at the
driver’s leg but hit him, causing him to shoot him in the chest. “He had to be stopped, but it
was clear (officers) didn’t want to kill the driver,” Lienard said. Now, the police officer has
been detained to calm the demonstrators. On the other hand, Prosecutor Prache said that the
teenager named Nahel was already known by the police because he had violated traffic rules
several times.
They brace for a possible fifth night of
rioting following the funeral of a teenager of
North African descent, whose police shooting
sparked nationwide rioting. President
Emmanuel Macron postponed a state visit to
Germany that was set to begin on Sunday to
deal with the worst crisis of his leadership
since “Yellow Vest” protests paralyzed large
parts of France in late 2018. Some 45,000 police will take to the streets by late Saturday, the
minister said. In Gerald Darmanin’s country, with reinforcements sent to Lyon and Marseille.
 At 11:45 pm, there was tension in central
Paris and sporadic clashes in the Mediterranean
city of Marseille. Television footage showed
violence, some looting and street fights between
police and youth groups at night. In Paris, police
stepped up security on the city’s famous Champs
Elysees avenue after calls on social media to
gather there. The street, which is usually packed
with tourists, is lined with security forces
carrying out spot checks. Shops were closed to
prevent potential damage and looting.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said a total of 1,311 people had been arrested as of
Friday (30/6/2023) evening, compared to 875 the night before. Despite describing the
violence as “low intensity”. Police said around 120 people had been arrested nationwide as of
Saturday. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said more than 700 shops, supermarkets,
restaurants and bank branches had been looted and sometimes even burned to the ground
since Tuesday (26/7/2023). Local authorities across the country announced a ban on
demonstrations and ordered public transport to stop operating at
17 of Algerian and Moroccan parents, was shot by a police officer during a traffic stop
on Tuesday in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris. For the funeral, several hundred people marched
into Nanterre’s grand mosque, which was guarded by volunteers in yellow vests, while
several dozen others watched from across the street. Some mourners, arms crossed, said “God
is great” in Arabic, as they lay on the boulevard in prayer.