Authorities in France have made 719 arrests by early Sunday, after a fifth night of unrest precipitated by the police shooting of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk, who was allegedly ‘killed’ by police during a traffic check.
The 17-year-old whose death on Tuesday, June 27, sparked the outrage was laid to rest in a Muslim ceremony in Nanterre, a Paris suburb, on Saturday. The officer who shot Merzouk has now been detained on suspicion of “voluntary homicide by a person in authority.”
As darkness came over Paris on Saturday, a small crowd gathered on the Champs-Elysees to protest his death and police brutality, but they were met by hundreds of officers using batons and shields patrolling the boulevard and its boutiques.
Some terrified residents of targeted neighbourhoods and business owners whose stores have been ransacked have welcomed the massive police deployment.
Macron’s leadership has suffered as a result of the upheaval. On Saturday, he cancelled what would have been France’s first state visit to Germany in 23 years. Macron was supposed to fly to Germany on Sunday.
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The violence has injured hundreds of French police and firefighters, but authorities have not confirmed how many demonstrators have been injured. A 54-year-old man died in French Guiana, an overseas territory, after being hit by a stray bullet.
Eric Dupond-Moretti, France’s justice minister, warned on Saturday that young people who share violent appeals on Snapchat or other apps could face prosecution. Macron has accused social media of inciting violence.
The violence occurs just over a year before the Summer Olympics, which will be held in Paris and other French cities. Olympic officials are keeping a tight eye on the situation as preparations for the Games proceed.
Hundreds of people lined the road leading to a hilltop cemetery in Nanterre on Saturday to pay their respects to Nahel as his white casket was brought from a mosque to the burial place. His mother, clothed in white, entered the graveyard to acclaim. Many of the men were young, Arab or Black, and had come to pay their respects to a youngster who could have been them.
Nahel’s mother told France 5 television last week that she was outraged at the officer who shot her son during a traffic check, but not at police in general.
“He saw a little Arab-looking kid. He wanted to take his life,” she said. Nahel’s family has roots in Algeria.
A video of the shooting shows two officers approaching the car’s window, one with his rifle levelled at the driver. As the teen approached, the officer fired once through the windshield. The cop accused of killing Nahel was charged with voluntary homicide.
