Death Of 17-Year-Old Boy Shot By Police During Traffic Stop Near Paris Sparks Violent Protests

President Emmanuel Macron faced a growing crisis as riots erupted across France overnight. The fatal police shooting of a teenager of North African descent during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb started the unrest.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin reported 180 arrests during the second night of unrest as public anger spilled onto the streets in towns and cities throughout the country.

Macron convened a crisis meeting with senior ministers to address the situation.?

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne dismissed calls for an emergency, while Darmanin announced the deployment of 40,000 police officers, including 5,000 in the Paris region, to suppress the violence.

"The state's response must be extremely firm," said Darmanin, speaking from Mons-en-Baroeul, where several municipal buildings were set ablaze.

The incident has amplified long-standing complaints of police violence and systemic racism within law enforcement agencies, voiced by rights groups and residents of low-income, racially mixed suburbs surrounding major cities in France.

The 17-year-old victim, identified as Nahel, was shot in Nanterre, a suburb on the western outskirts of Paris.?

The officer involved has been placed under formal investigation for voluntary homicide, according to the local prosecutor.

Jeff Puech, president of the Ovale Citoyen Association, which focuses on assisting local youths in job market integration through sports, described Nahel as a determined individual seeking professional and social integration.

Puech emphasized that Nahel was not involved in drug-related activities or minor crimes and that those who knew him at the club believed he had a lot of potential.

Agencies

According to BFMTV, Nahel's lawyers said he was well-liked within the community. His grandmother, Nadia, described him as a good and kind boy. In a video shared on social media, Nahel's mother conveyed their close bond.

She recalled the affectionate moment when Nahel kissed her and said, "Mum, I love you."?

She responded with the same sentiment and urged him to take care. However, within an hour, she received the devastating news that her son had been shot. Overwhelmed with grief, she expressed that Nahel was her life, her best friend, and everything.

The recent unrest in France has sparked memories of the 2005 riots that shook the nation for three weeks and led to a state of emergency declaration by then-President Jacques Chirac.

Agencies

The 2005 riots originated in Clichy-sous-Bois, a suburb of Paris.?

They spread throughout the country after the deaths of two young individuals who were electrocuted while hiding from the police in a power substation.

Two officers involved in the incident were acquitted a decade after standing trial.

In 2023, Tuesday's killing marked the third fatal shooting during traffic stops in France, a decrease from the record 13 cases reported last year, according to a spokesperson for the national police.

Since 2017, a Reuters tally indicates that most victims in such incidents, including 2021 and 2020, were of Black or Arab origin.

Karima Khartim, a local councilor in Blanc Mesnil, northeast of Paris, expressed the growing impatience of the people, stating, "We've seen this injustice happen many times before."

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