By Abimbola Ogunnaike
Security forces have arrested at least protesters after violent protests broke out in France in the early hours of Thursday,29 June, 2023 as anger grows over the police killing of a teenager.
During the chaos, balaclava-clad protesters were seen burning cars and setting off fireworks.
Recall that Nahel M., 17, was shot in the chest at point-blank range on the morning of Tuesday, 27 June, 2023 in an incident that has reignited debate in France about police tactics long criticised by rights groups over the treatment of people in low-income suburbs, particularly ethnic minorities.
The teenager’s mother called for a march on Thursday afternoon in the Paris suburb of Nanterre where he was killed, in tribute to her only child.
In a sign of the seriousness of the situation, President Emmanuel Macron called an early morning crisis meeting of his ministers, the Elysee announced.
There had already been clashes the previous evening and while Wednesday night began calmly, unrest erupted in other French cities, including Toulouse, Dijon and Lyon before violence after midnight hit the Paris region, where around 2,000 riot police had been deployed.
“A night of intolerable violence against symbols of the republic, with town halls, schools and police stations set on fire or attacked,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin wrote on Twitter as he announced the 150 arrests figure.
He expressed support for police but added in an apparent swipe at the hard-left: “Shame on those who did not call for calm.”
“They did not enter the prison grounds. The police were quickly called in,” the source added.
The victim was pulled over for breaking traffic rules.
Police initially reported that an officer had shot at the teenager because he was driving at him, but this was contradicted by a video circulating on social media and authenticated by AFP.
The footage shows the two policemen standing by the side of the stationary car, with one pointing a weapon at the driver.
A voice is heard saying: “You are going to get a bullet in the head.”
The police officer then appears to fire as the car abruptly drives off.
Hoping to tamp down the spreading violence, authorities have pleaded for calm.
On Wednesday, the Nanterre town hall urged an end to the “destructive spiral”, while the government issued rare criticism of the security forces.
“A teenager was killed. That is inexplicable and unforgivable,” President Emmanuel Macron said during an official visit to Marseille, southern France.
France is haunted by the prospect of a repeat of 2005 riots sparked by the death of two black boys during a police chase. Those protests resulted in around 6,000 people arrested.
“There are all the ingredients for another explosion potentially,” one government adviser told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Last year, 13 people were killed after refusing to stop for police traffic checks, with a law change in 2017 that gave officers greater powers to use their weapons now under scrutiny.
“What I see on this video is the execution by police of a 17-year-old kid, in France, in 2023, in broad daylight,” said Greens party leader Marine Tondelier said.
But far-right leader Marine Le Pen said the officer was entitled to the “presumption of innocence”.
The 38-year-old policeman filmed firing the lethal shot was taken into custody and is under investigation for voluntary manslaughter.
Source: AFP
