French riots “police shot dead 17 year old boy”

The 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 (1/7/2023).

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.