By Ben Wilson
Protests are rocking France again. This time it’s over the police shooting and killing of a 17-year-old at a traffic stop. Being of Algerian descent, he was not white, and like in the United States, racial killing of black and Brown skinned people by police is commonplace.
Videos from the incident show “two police officers leaning into the driver-side window of a yellow car,” and as the car drives away, one of the officers shoots into the window. Later on, the car appears crashed into a nearby post. This is a George Floyd type moment.
Prosecutors quickly urged for the police officer who fired to be investigated and he is in custody and possibly facing being charged with intentional homicide. President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the killing. But this has not been enough to contain the anger.
French President decries police shooting of 17 years old
Video from ABC News
The government is now having crisis meetings to deal with the situation. Police claims that the seventeen year old was known to them and was speeding away haven’t convinced anyone. Video footage on the scene and widely broadcast show the gun poking through the car window while the car was stopped. The officer fired at point blank range.
Paris is a segregated city. Police have a reputation for targeting working class and African communities. Complaints about racial profiling by police have been common,
Nanterre, where Nahel M lived, happens to be one of these communities, and anger has been simmering, waiting for a catalyst to ignite an explosion. This was it.
Police responded brutally, and unrest quickly spread across France.
Protests continue in France following police shooting
Video from ABC News (US)
People went out into the streets in Amiens, Dijon, and Lyon, Toulouse, France’s second largest city. Attacks by police and killings are a national problem. As are the underlying economic and social problems.
Nanterre is one of the places where there is a deep sense of injustice. In addition to the race issue, there is poverty brought about by a lack of jobs and opportunity, a lack of decent affordable housing, and a rising cost of living. This is shared in many parts of Paris and across the country. And there is the demand for an end to the police brutality, which is a constant presence in these communities.
Protesters march in Nanterre over police shooting of teenager
Video by euronews
Nanterre is one of the places where there is a deep sense of injustice. In addition to the race issue, there is poverty brought about by a lack of jobs and opportunity, a lack of decent affordable housing, and a rising cost of living. This is shared in many parts of Paris and across the country. And there is the demand for an end to the police brutality, which is a constant presence in these communities.
A group called France Police published a tweet that has since been deleted that said “bravo” to the police who “opened fire on a young criminal.” This inflamed the situation further.
Hundreds have been arrested and curfews imposed. Tear gas and stun grenades have been used by police against protesters. Angry crowds have set cars and sometimes buildings alight.
The anger continues. Will the events of the last few days bring change? Promises have been made before and nothing’s happened. At least this time there has been official recognition. Now, France is waiting to see what comes next.