New night of riots over Nahel's murder in France
In addition to the city of Nanterre, west of Paris, where Nahel M. was shot dead by a policeman on Tuesday, riots have spread to major cities across the country. In nationwide protests on Thursday, where demonstrators threw objects at police and threw fireworks and set fire to cars and street furniture, more than 667 people were arrested, local media reported.
The government sent 40,000 police and gendarmes overnight, almost four times more than on Wednesday, calling in units experienced in defiant interventions such as the BRI (Brigade de Recherche et d'Intervention), which was stationed in Nanterre at the end of the day, and the GIGN (Groupe d'Intervention de Gendarmerie Nationale).
In turn, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on his Twitter account that "the professionals of disorder must return home". "The state's response will be extremely strong. It is not yet necessary to declare a state of emergency as was done in 2005 to put an end to weeks of rioting," he concluded.
Cette nuit, nos policiers, gendarmes et sapeurs-pompiers ont encore fait face, avec courage, à une rare violence.
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) June 30, 2023
Conformément à mes instructions de fermeté, ils ont procédé à 667 interpellations.
Following a peaceful vigil, protesters in Nanterre, a working-class town on the western outskirts of Paris where the teenager was shot dead, cars were set alight, streets were blocked and shells were fired at police. Amid the turmoil, some protesters took advantage of the chaos to rob a Nike shoe shop in the heart of Paris. According to the Parisian police, following the smashing of shop windows at a shop in the rue de Rivoli shopping district, 14 people were arrested and 16 others were found in possession of stolen goods.
Before sunset, bus and tram services in the Paris region, the focus of Wednesday's riots, were shut down as a precautionary measure to protect transport staff and customers. Several towns near Paris, including Clamart (Hauts-de-Seine) and Neuilly-sur-Marne (Seine-Saint-Denis), have enacted night-time curfews. The National Police have reported that further incidents, including fires and pyrotechnics, have had to be dealt with by officers in Marseille, Lyon, Pau, Toulouse and Lille.
The first riots were witnessed on Thursday night in Marseille, a major port city in southern France and the country's second largest city. According to police sources, several hundred youths "went berserk" in the city centre and set fire to rubbish bins, including those in front of the main administrative building in the area.
🇫🇷 ALERTE INFO - Des pillages sont en cours en plein cœur de Paris, au Forum de #Châtelet Les Halles. Une boutique Nike est prise pour cible. (témoins) #émeutes pic.twitter.com/8wiyT5UPsG
— Mediavenir (@Mediavenir) June 29, 2023
The riots even reached Brussels where 12 people were arrested as a result of clashes linked to the shooting in France. According to police spokeswoman Ilse van de Keere, several fires have been extinguished and at least one vehicle has burned.
Cases like George Floyd in the United States and now Nahel in Nanterre, France, always have a common denominator: racism. The problems in both America and France with racism are well known. That is why his family's ancestry has not gone unnoticed. Nahel, of Algerian origin, will go down as another victim of the racial strife in France. "May Allah grant him mercy," read a banner erected on the Paris ring road in front of the Parc des Princes stadium.
"It could have been me, it could have been my little brother," was the description to French television of a teenager named Mohamed living in the Clichy-sous-Bois neighbourhood.
Since 2021, Nahel had gone through a maximum of five police checks. He was reportedly arrested last weekend for his alleged refusal to comply and was due to appear in juvenile court in September. He had many problems with the law, many of which involved cars. Nevertheless, as Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure said: "Refusing to stop does not give you a licence to kill". "All children of the Republic have the right to justice," he added.
L’heure est au recueillement en hommage à Nahel. Ce moment doit précéder celui d’une justice exemplaire. La colère doit être entendue. Tous les enfants de la République ont droit à la justice. A aucun moment, la violence ne peut, ne fera et ne remplacera la justice.
— Olivier Faure (@faureolivier) June 29, 2023
A young man questioned by a local TV channel reaffirms the current problems in France who calls for justice for Nahel and affirms that "police violence happens every day, especially if you are Arab or black". Yassine Bouzrou, the family's lawyer, said that this is about justice, not racism. "We have a law and a judicial system that protects the police and creates a culture of impunity in France," he told the BBC.
This unfortunate event has provoked outrage from celebrities, including Kylian Mbappé, the captain of the French national football team. "France is in an unacceptable situation and my heart aches for them," he wrote on his networks. "My thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Nahel, this little angel who left too soon," he tweeted. Aurélien Tchouameni, Real Madrid and French national team player, also spoke out about the tragedy.
J’ai mal à ma France. 💙🤍💔💔💔
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) June 28, 2023
Une situation inacceptable.
Tout mes pensées vont pour la famille et les proches de Naël, ce petit ange parti beaucoup trop tôt.
Nahel aurait pu être mon petit frère. Et j'ai le coeur brisé quand j'entends sa mère parce que c'est la voix de ma mère que j'entends.
— Tchouameni Aurélien (@atchouameni) June 28, 2023
On ne refera pas l'histoire et on ne changera pas le monde sur les réseaux sociaux… pic.twitter.com/MmVzUC0mRh
Actor Omar Sy, who plays the main character in Lupin, expressed his grief at the young victim's murder. "Nahel's family and friends are in my thoughts and prayers. He passed away this morning at the age of 17. May the memory of this child be honoured by the justice that deserves that name."
Mes pensées et prières vont à la famille et aux proches de Naël, mort à 17 ans ce matin,
— Omar Sy (@OmarSy) June 27, 2023
tué par un policier à Nanterre.
Qu’une justice digne de ce nom honore la mémoire de cet enfant. pic.twitter.com/mdNp6Aju80
