Thursday | June 29, 2023 | 23:05 PM
PARIS – Protesters shot fireworks at police and set cars ablaze in the working class Paris suburb of Nanterre on Wednesday, in a second night of unrest following the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old boy during a traffic stop there.
In the ethnically varied suburbs of France’s largest cities, there is a pervasive perception of police brutality that has been fueled by the use of lethal force by cops against the adolescent, who is of North African descent.
Just before midnight, pyrotechnics fizzed towards police lines on Nanterre’s Avenue Pablo Picasso, leaving a trail of burning wrecks in their wake.
According to a police spokeswoman, there was turbulence in Amiens, Dijon, and the administrative region of Essonne, south of the French capital, as well as in the northern city of Lille and the southern city of Toulouse.
Instances were recorded in various different places in the greater Paris area, according to French media. The Montreuil town hall, located on the eastern fringe of Paris, was seen in social media videos to be the target of numerous fireworks.
The shooting was previously described as “unexplainable and inexcusable” by President Emmanuel Macron.
For shooting the kid, a police officer is being looked into for voluntary homicide. He allegedly disobeyed a request to stop his car, according to the prosecution.
2,000 police officers have reportedly been mobilized in the Paris area, according to the interior ministry’s request for calm.
Rights organizations claim that racism is institutionalized throughout French law enforcement, a claim that Macron has previously refuted.
One police officer is seen firing at the driver in close range as the Mercedes AMG begins to move away in a video posted on social media and confirmed by Reuters. According to the local prosecutor, he succumbed to his injuries shortly after.
“You have a video that makes it crystal evident that a police officer killed a 17-year-old boy. You can see that the shooting was unlawful, according to Yassine Bouzrou, the family’s attorney.
The National Assembly observed a moment of silence during which Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne stated that the shooting “seems clearly not to comply with the rules.”
According to the attorney, the family has filed a lawsuit alleging manslaughter, involvement in homicide, and fabrication of evidence against the cops.
A lady identified as the victim’s mother requested a memorial march in Nanterre on Thursday in a video posted to TikTok. Come one and all, we’ll lead a revolution for my son, she urged.
UNUSUALLY FRANK
According to a national police spokesperson, Tuesday’s tragedy was the third fatal shooting during traffic stops in France thus far in 2023, down from a record 13 last year.
According to a Reuters count, there were three similar murders in 2021 and two in 2020, and the majority of the victims since 2017 have been Black or of Arab descent.
The fatality has sparked the sixth investigation by France’s human rights ombudsman into instances comparable to it in 2022 and 2023.
In a nation where senior politicians are frequently reluctant to criticize police given voters’ concerns about security, Macron’s comments were notably direct.
Two powerful police unions retaliated, arguing that the arrested police officer should be treated as innocent unless proven guilty.
He has introduced policies intended to reduce urban crime, such as giving police more authority to impose penalties, but he has come under fire from competitors who accuse him of being lenient with drug traffickers and minor offenders.
Some residents of Nanterre had voiced optimism that the turmoil would finish quickly before it broke out for a second night.
Revolting like we did yesterday won’t alter anything; we need to communicate and debate, said Fatima, a local.