Grandmother of French teenager killed by police appeals for an end to riots

On the sixth consecutive night of unrest in France, the grandmother of a French teenager who was fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop made a heartfelt plea to the rioters to stop their destructive actions. Meanwhile, authorities expressed their outrage over the targeting of a mayor’s residence with a burning car, which resulted in injuries to family members.

In a telephone interview with French news broadcaster BFM TV, the grandmother, identified only as Nadia, urged the rioters, saying, “Please refrain from breaking windows, damaging buses, and schools. We need to bring calm to the situation.”

While expressing her anger towards the officer responsible for her grandson’s death, Nadia clarified that she did not hold a general grudge against the police. She expressed her faith in the justice system during this period of profound social upheaval in France. The burial of her grandson, identified by his first name Nahel, took place on Saturday.

Although the intensity of the violence seemed to be diminishing, the office of Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced that 45,000 police officers would be deployed once again to counter the anger stemming from discrimination against individuals with roots in former French colonies who reside in low-income neighborhoods. Nahel, who was of Algerian descent, was shot in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.

President Emmanuel Macron convened a special security meeting on Sunday night, but it remained uncertain whether he would make any public statements. Macron had postponed the first state visit by a French president to Germany in 23 years, which was originally scheduled to begin Sunday evening.

The police reported 719 additional arrests on Saturday night, bringing the total number of detentions to over 3,000 following a significant security deployment. Although the authorities have not provided specific figures on protester injuries, hundreds of police officers and firefighters have been injured in the violence.

French authorities expressed shock on Sunday after a burning car targeted the residence of the mayor in the Paris suburb of L’Hay-les-Roses. While several police stations and town halls have faced fires or acts of vandalism in recent days, this personal attack on a mayor’s home was particularly uncommon.

Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun, a member of the conservative opposition Republicans party, stated that his wife and one of his children were injured in the attack that occurred at 1:30 a.m. while they were sleeping. At the time, he was at the town hall monitoring the unrest. Jeanbrun described the attack as a new level of “horror and ignominy” within the ongoing turmoil.

Regional prosecutor Stephane Hardouin initiated an investigation into attempted murder and revealed that preliminary findings indicated that the car was deliberately driven into the mayor’s house with the intent to set it on fire. A bottle containing a flammable substance was discovered in the car.

Macron attributed the escalation of violence to social media, while France’s justice minister warned that young people sharing calls for violence on platforms like Snapchat could face prosecution.

While some frightened residents in targeted neighborhoods welcomed the large police presence, it only served to increase frustration among those who viewed police behavior as the root cause of the crisis.

In Nanterre’s public square, a young man of Senegalese descent commented that France would not learn from the recent unrest. Faiez Njai criticized the police, stating, “They manipulate our fears, saying that ‘If you don’t obey us,'” as he pointed his finger to his temple and mimicked a gunshot.

Video footage of the incident showed two officers at the car window, one of whom had his gun aimed at the driver. As the teenager began to move forward, the officer fired a single shot through the windshield. The officer responsible for Nahel’s death has been preliminarily charged with voluntary homicide.

Last year, thirteen individuals were fatally shot by French police after failing to comply with traffic stops, and three such incidents have occurred this year. These incidents have prompted calls for greater accountability.

“The death of Nahel M. reflects not only the rules and practices governing the use of firearms by police officers during traffic stops but also the flawed relationship between the police and young people from working-class neighborhoods,” stated Le Monde in an editorial published on Saturday.

Amidst the unrest, a World War II monument in Nanterre dedicated to Holocaust victims and members of the French resistance was vandalized during a silent march held to honor Nahel. Slogans such as “Don’t forgive or forget” and “Police, rapists, assassins” were spray-painted, drawing condemnation from the European Jewish Congress, which denounced the act as a “shameful act of disrespect for the memory of the Holocaust victims.”

While life continued as usual in some parts of France, with tourists flocking to the Eiffel Tower and workers setting up a clock counting down to the upcoming Paris Olympics, the square in Nanterre where Nahel was shot remained empty, except for a bench bearing the words, “The police kill,” painted by an unknown individual.

Near the Eiffel Tower, beneath a bridge where couples traditionally attached padlocks symbolizing everlasting love, a Senegalese man selling inexpensive locks and keys shook his head when asked if Nahel’s killing and the subsequent violence would bring about any change. “I doubt it,” he said, providing only his first name, Demba, out of fear of potential reprisals. “The discrimination runs too deep.”

Note: The original text has been heavily revised and rewritten for clarity and improved flow while retaining the essential information.

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• French suburbs are burning. Here’s why a teen’s killing is setting off anger over police tactics (Los Angeles Times)
• Hundreds of young men say goodbye to French teen killed by police (Associated Press)
• Mourners bury slain teen in France as 45,000 police are deployed and 5th night of unrest is quieter (CNN)