Devendra Kumar
Protesters in France erupted onto the streets on Friday morning, constructing barricades, setting fires, and firing off fireworks at police in various cities. The violence was sparked by the deadly police shooting of a 17-year-old delivery driver, identified only by his first name, Nahel, in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday. Nahel was shot by a police officer who was charged with voluntary homicide after an initial investigation revealed that the conditions for using lethal force were not met.
Tensions in Nanterre had been building since Thursday afternoon, when a peaceful march in honour of Nahel was followed by the burning of cars and garbage bins. The government urged calm, but Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin warned that the state’s response would be extremely firm, with 40,000 police officers deployed across the country, including 5,000 in the Paris region.
As the violence spread to other cities, including Marseille and Toulouse, police made dozens of arrests, including 40 in Paris. Bus and tram services in the Paris area were shut down as a precaution, and the town of Clamart imposed a curfew through Monday. Even the Belgian city of Brussels was affected, with a dozen people detained during scuffles related to the shooting.
The shooting, which was captured on video, has shocked France and reignited longstanding tensions between police and young people in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Anti-racism activists have renewed their complaints about police behaviour, with Dominique Sopo, head of SOS Racisme, calling for a police force that does not discriminate against minorities.
The investigation into Nahel’s death is ongoing, with prosecutor Pascal Prache revealing that the police officers involved claimed they felt threatened and drew their guns to prevent the teenager from fleeing after he allegedly ran a red light and got stuck in traffic. The officer who fired the fatal shot said he feared he and his colleague or someone else could be hit by the car.
French President Emmanuel Macron held an emergency security meeting on Thursday to address the violence, saying that the acts were totally unjustifiable and vowing to secure hotspots and plan for the coming days to ensure peace returns. The situation in France remains volatile, with protests continuing throughout the weekend.