Paris: Nahel, 17, killed by French police, was buried on Saturday among millions of quiet and visibly angry protesters, but President Emmanuel Macron’s response stunned the world. Macron blamed social media and mobile games for fueling the violence. According to him, the protesters were mostly young and addicted to violent online games.
The country was rocked by massive violent protests after an allergic-origin teenager was shot during a traffic stop. The video shows two officers standing at the window of the car, one of whom points a gun at the driver. As the teen sped away, the officer fired a single shot through the windshield. This week, Nahel’s mother told France 5 television that she was angry at the officer who shot her son, but not at police in general. He said, “He saw a small child who looked like an Arab, he wanted to kill him.”
Deep-rooted racism in France
Race was a taboo subject for decades in France, which is officially committed to the principle of colour-blind universalism. Critics say the theory has hidden generations of systemic racism. The officer accused of killing Nahel was initially charged with voluntary manslaughter, meaning the magistrates conducting the investigation suspect wrongdoing, but further investigation is needed before the case can be sent to trial. Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache said that his preliminary investigation had led him to conclude that the officer’s use of his weapon was not legally justified.
Hundreds of police and firefighters have been injured in the violence that followed the murder. Officials have not released the number of injuries to protesters. In the overseas territory of French Guiana, a 54-year-old man died after being hit by a stray bullet. The reaction to the killing was a powerful reminder of the persistent poverty, discrimination, unemployment and other lack of opportunities in areas around France, where many residents trace their roots to former French colonies – such as where Nahel grew up.
“The story of Nahel is that of the lighter that ignited the gas”
“The story of Nahel is that of the lighter that ignited the gas. Frustrated youth were waiting for this. We lack housing and jobs, and when we do have (jobs), our wages are very low,” said Samba Seck, a 39-year-old transport worker in the Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois. Clichy was the birthplace of weeks of rioting that rocked France in 2005, after two teenagers were electrocuted in an electricity substation while fleeing police. One of the boys lived in the same housing project as Sec.
Like many Clichy residents, he mourned the violence targeting his town, where the remains of a burnt-out car stood beneath his apartment building, and the town hall entrance torched in riots this week Went. “Young people break everything, but we are already poor, we have nothing,” he said, “young people are afraid of dying at the hands of the police.”
Despite the growing crisis, Macron held off on declaring a state of emergency, an option exercised in 2005. But the government ramped up its law enforcement response with the massive deployment of police officers, some of whom were recalled from leave.
More than 45 thousand soldiers deployed
The government deployed 45,000 police to city streets across the country to deal with a fifth night of violence. Overnight, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted that the night had been calmer than the previous night due to “the determined action of the security forces”. He put the number of arrests during the night at 427.
France’s justice minister, Dupond-Moretti, warned on Saturday that youths who share calls for violence on Snapchat or other apps could face prosecution. Macron blamed social media for fueling the violence. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire promised government aid for shop owners.
He said, “Without order, without general rules there is no nation.” Darmanin has ordered the night-time closure of all public buses and trams across the country, which have been targets of the rioters. He also said that he warned social networks not to allow themselves to be used as a medium for calls for violence.
(with input from AP)