Protests erupted across various cities and towns in France, resulting in the arrest of at least 150 individuals during the second night of unrest following the police shooting of a 17-year-old driver in a Paris suburb on Tuesday. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin described it as “a night of unbearable violence against the symbols of the republic: town halls, schools, police stations burned or attacked,” according to a report by the Guardian. Demonstrators engaged in clashes with the police, throwing bottles and fireworks, while tear gas was deployed in response. Nanterre, the location of the shooting, now resembles a “war zone” with burnt and overturned vehicles strewn across the streets, as reported by a local resident to the BBC.
The teenager, identified as Nahel M., was shot by a police officer during a traffic stop. However, the officer’s claim that the teen was driving towards him has been contradicted by a video authenticated by French news agencies. Providing an update on the case, the Nanterre public prosecutor stated that the teenager was driving erratically and was pursued by the police after refusing to stop and speeding past a red light, according to the BBC. The prosecutor deemed the officer’s use of his weapon as unlawful, leading to the initiation of a homicide investigation against the officer, who remains in custody.
Nahel, a delivery driver, reportedly hailed from a family of Algerian origin. Graffiti demanding “Justice for Nahel” and highlighting “Police kill” was spotted near one of the protest sites in northeast Paris, as reported by AFP. “We are tired of being treated in this manner. This is for Nahel, we stand with Nahel,” proclaimed two young men while bringing garbage cans to a burning barricade. French President Emmanuel Macron, who condemned the killing as “inexcusable” on Wednesday, held an emergency security meeting on Thursday. Some lawmakers are urging him to declare France’s first state of emergency since the terrorist attacks in 2015. (Read more France stories.)
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