Unrest grows in France after police shot and killed a teenager during a traffic stop

Firefighters put out burning cars in Nanterre on Wednesday evening. Credit: Stephanie Lecoq/Reuters

In the Essonne district south of the capital, a group of people set fire to a bus after all the passengers got off, police said.

Protesters clashed with security forces on the outskirts of Paris. Credit: Christophe Ena/AP

Several vehicles were set on fire in the southern city of Toulouse, and shells were pelted by police and firefighters, with thick black smoke billowing high into the sky, a police source said.

Police said at least 16 people were arrested across the country shortly after midnight.

Burnt cars stand outside the Municipal Police Building following the violence in Neuilly-sur-Marne Photo: BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images

On Tuesday, Emmanuel Macron issued a rare rebuke against the French police and celebrities, including football star Kylian Mbappé and the actor Omar Sy, expressed outrage.

«I hurt for my France,» tweeted Mbappe, captain of the French men's national football team and star player of Paris Saint-Germain.

Firefighters put out burning cars in Nanterre on Wednesday evening Photo: Stephanie Lecoq/Reuters

Sea, known for his role in the film The Untouchables and the TV show Lupin, tweeted: «I hope justice worthy of the name will honor the memory of this child ”.

A 38-year-old motorcyclist was arrested on suspicion of murder.

The victim's mother appeared in an Instagram post next to Assa Traore, a well-known activist against police brutality, and said: «They took my child. They shot my son. I only had one, he was my life. We were close. < /p>

“This morning he said:“ Mom, I love you. ”I said:“ Be careful. 31 people were arrested, 25 police officers were injured and 40 cars were burned.French special forces were subjected to rocket fire in Nanterre. Photo: YOAN VALAT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Reactions to death in flight during a visit to Marseille, Mr. Macron made unusually harsh remarks about the officer involved.

The French President said: “The teenager was killed. This is inexplicable and unforgivable. Nothing can justify the death of a young man.»

The case «touched the whole nation,» he said, while expressing «respect and affection» for the victim's family.

Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne went further, condemning the «shocking footage of … a [police] intervention that clearly does not respect the rules of engagement of our security forces.»

She said she hoped «our absolute demand for the truth allow calmness to prevail over anger.

Marine Le Pen, Macron's far-right opponent, called his comments «excessive», saying she was amazed at «the aspiration for this position, especially from the president.»

A map of Nanterre for teenagers shot by Mr. Mr. Macron

the criticism provoked a furious response from the Alliance Police Nationale. It said it was «unthinkable» that the President, «like some politicians, artists and others, would trample on the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary by condemning our colleagues before [justice] has been delivered.»

< p>«Like any citizen, [an officer] has the right to the presumption of innocence,» it reads further.

However, even Mr Darmanin, who has been dubbed France's «best cop» and who has previously supported the police in similar situations, called the footage «extremely shocking» in Parliament. if the charges against him stand.»

Police sources initially speculated that the teenager ran over two police officers as they tried to stop the car.

A police officer aims a gun at a car driver

However, this version of events appears to be contradicted by a video posted on Twitter of the incident, in which police officers stand next to a stopped car. in a traffic jam, one with a pistol pointed at the driver.

When the yellow Mercedes AMG drove off, the policeman fired. The driver was shot in the heart and lost control of the car that crashed nearby. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Yassin Bouzrou, Jennifer Kambla and Abdelmajid Benamara, lawyers for the victim's family, said that shortly before the shot was fired, an officer was heard saying, «I'm going to put a bullet in your head.»

They added that a second officer could be heard saying, “Shoot him.”

One passenger was arrested but released without charge. The second fled the scene and the police were looking for him.

French media named the victim Nahel M.

The victim's mother called to a white march on Thursday in memory of her son.

Some opposition politicians have suggested that the shooting was reminiscent of U.S. police violence, specifically the death of George Floyd, a black American who died after police pinned him to the ground in 2020, sparking Black Lives Matter protests.

The French police are often accused of being tough. The country came last in a recent EU survey on the level of satisfaction of those who passed police checks.

Laurent Nunez, chief of the Paris police, said officers tried to stop the car because it «accidentally». a certain number of offences.”

French Riots 28/6/23

He continued: “[The driver] initially refused to stop and then was blocked in traffic where officers were trying to check. It was then that the driver, who had initially turned off the engine, started it again and drove off. It was in this context that the officer used his firearm.»

He described the shooter as «an experienced police sergeant who enjoys the confidence of his superiors.»

After the shooting, the protesters burned garbage cans, smashed bus stops and tried to set up roadblocks in Nanterre. Some tried to protest outside the local police station. In response, the security forces used tear gas and rubber bullets against the demonstrators. The riots spread to other suburbs.

French Riots 28/6/23 [3]

The death drew attention to a 2017 law change that relaxed the rules on shooting as a means of legitimate self-defense. . After the passage of the law, the number of deaths due to «refusal to comply» increased dramatically.

The last major nationwide riots in France occurred in 2005 after two teenagers died when they were electrocuted at a substation while trying to evade police stop and search.