The French leader offered condolences to the family of a teenager whose death sparked riots in a Parisian suburb
‘Police kills. Justice for Nahel’ is scrawled on a building in Nanterre, France behind a car set on fire, June 28. 2023. © GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the fatal police shooting of a teenager that had led to riots earlier this week. Protests broke out in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday, but have since spread to Toulouse and Lille, as the mother of the slain teenager called for a “revolt” to get justice.
“We have a teenager who was killed. It’s inexcusable, inexplicable and I want to express my sympathies and condolences to his family and loved ones,” Macron said during a visit to Marseilles on Wednesday.
He instructed the Minister for Cities and Housing Olivier Klein to deliver the government’s condolences to the slain teenager’s family.
On Twitter, Macron urged the public to stay calm and thanked police officers who “are committed to protecting us and serving the republic.”
In the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, a total of 31 people were arrested. At least 18 arrests took place in the department of Hauts-de-Seine, 11 of which were in Nanterre itself. Two dozen officers have reported injuries as well.
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There was “less violence than yesterday,” Nanterre mayor Patrick Jarry told BFMTV, adding that “immense emotions have gone around the country.”
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that 2,000 officers and gendarmes were put on alert in Paris and in its inner suburbs, 800 more than the night before, according to French media. Police also received an emergency authorization to use surveillance drones in Nanterre.
The riots erupted after a 17-year-old, later identified as Nahel M., was fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop. Police said at the time that Nahel had failed to comply with the officer’s demands. The young man’s mother Mounia posted a video on TikTok calling for “a revolt” to get justice for the death of her son.
Opposition leader Marine Le Pen, meanwhile, called Macron’s remarks “excessive” and “irresponsible.” It is up to the courts to decide what happened, said Le Pen, arguing that the president should not prejudice the investigation.
The officer who fired the fatal shot has been placed under arrest and charged with intentional homicide. Attorney’s for Nahel’s mother have sought a change of venue, arguing that Nanterre prosecutors cannot be impartial because the suspect is one of their police officers.
