The Nanterre district, on the outskirts of Paris, has suffered during the night of this Tuesday serious disturbances which ended with the arrest of 31 people. Some protests originated after the death of a 17 year old due to being shot by a policeman.
The events took place around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, when the young man was shot in the chest in a police control, after the interception of his vehicle. At first, the Police denounced an attempted hit-and-run, but a video broadcast on social networks has denied this version. The officer responsible for opening fire is in custody and is being investigated for voluntary manslaughteras reported by the Nanterre Prosecutor’s Office.
After learning of the teenager’s death, social indignation has grown and riots broke out in the city of Nanterre early at night. The night of protests has resulted in 24 police officers injured and about 40 vehicles set on fire. Other incidents have also been confirmed, although of a lower level than those in Nanterre, in other areas of the metropolitan region of Paris, according to franceinfo. And the authorities fear that new riots will take place in the coming days.
The images of the protests have also provoked anger and astonishment among a large part of the citizenry, who has been denouncing the excessive use of force by the police forces.
The French government seeks to “maintain public order”
The French President, Emmanuel Macron, has called for calm from Marseille, echoing “the emotion of the entire nation”. For Macron, the death of the teenager, identified as Naël, “is inexplicable and inexcusable.” He has also stressed that “nothing justifies the death of a young man”, for which he trusts that Justice can continue his work smoothly.
Also the Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmaninhas appeared before the media to announce an exceptional device “to maintain public order”, in a message in which he has appealed for calm and to wait for the results of the “judicial truth”, which he hopes will arrive “as quickly as possible “.
For her part, the mother of Naël, the deceased young man, has announced on social networks the call for a “White March” Thursday at 2:00 p.m. in Nanterre, in front of the Prefecture headquarters.
The family’s lawyer, Yassine Bouzrou, has assured that it is an “extremely serious” event, since the video released in the last hours shows how “a policeman shot a young man in cold blood” and “there is no possible legitimate defense”, as reported by le figaro.
