Violence continued on Wednesday evening across France, particularly in the Paris area, where a 17-year-old teenager, Nachel, was killed by a police officer after he refused to obey, writes AFP.

The situation began to escalate after 11 p.m. in Nanterre, about 15 km west of Paris, in the Haute-de-Seine department, where a teenager was shot dead on Tuesday.

According to AFP journalists who arrived at the scene, several cars and garbage cans were set on fire, and barriers were placed on the road. The words “Justice for Nachel” and “Police kill” were spray-painted on the facade of the building.

Clashes with the police took place at night in one of the districts of the city, where clashes between residents and the police had already taken place the day before. After people started throwing cobblestones, tear gas was used.

According to a police source, a tram was set on fire in the same Klamar department.

A police source said about two dozen communes in Saint-Saint-Denis, a department northeast of Paris, saw incidents, with groups of fewer than a hundred people protesting in the street each time.

Dozens of arrests

The prefecture announced 77 arrests shortly before 02:00.

Police sources said a group of people set fire to a bus with no passengers in Essonne, south of the capital, around 9:00 p.m. (19:00 GMT).

Clashes also broke out in a busy area of ​​Toulouse (in the southwest). According to an AFP journalist, thick black smoke could be seen in the area, mainly from the burning van.

Tensions were also reported in other regions of the country, such as in Lyon (east), where police were targeted by incendiary cocktails.

In some cases, such as Saint-Etienne (in the east), Lille (in the north) and Rennes (in the northwest), the incidents took place during rallies in support of an environmental movement recently disbanded by the government.

Fury in France

Nachel’s death has sparked strong emotions in France, from head of state Emmanuel Macron to French soccer captain Kylian Mbappe.

Parliamentarians and members of the government honored the memory of the teenager with a moment of silence in the National Assembly.

Police sources initially said a police officer fired shots when a car crashed into two police motorcyclists on Tuesday.

However, according to a video posted on social media and confirmed by AFP, one of the two police officers held the driver at gunpoint and fired at close range as the car started again. The words “you will be shot in the head” are heard, but it is impossible to determine who said them.

Shot in the chest

Nakhel M. was wounded in the chest and died soon after.

“The shocking images (…) show an intervention that clearly does not respect the rules of our law enforcement agencies,” said Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne, while President Macron condemned the “incomprehensible” and “inexcusable” act.

The main police unions condemned the executive’s statements, emphasizing the “presumption of innocence”.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanen announced that 2,000 law enforcement officers would be mobilized in Paris and the suburbs tonight, 800 more than the previous night.

A peaceful procession in front of the prefecture

Mother Nachel called for a peaceful march on Thursday in front of the Haut-de-Seine prefecture.

The case has renewed debate over law enforcement in France, which saw a record 13 deaths in 2022 due to refusal to comply with roadside checks.

“I miss my France. Unacceptable situation,” Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Kylian Mbappe wrote on Twitter.

“Let the justice worthy of this name honor the memory of this child,” actor Omar Sy also wrote on Twitter.

The policeman was remanded in custody

A 38-year-old policeman suspected in the fatal shooting is being interrogated by the National Police Inspectorate as part of an investigation into intentional homicide.

His preventive detention has been extended, the Nanterre prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday.

The tragedy also caused numerous reactions from politicians.

“Enough is enough! These crimes concern the authority of the state! This police force must be fully restored and its killers punished,” Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the radical leftist party La France insoumise, wrote on Twitter.

Jordan Bardella and Sebastien Chenou, representatives of the far-right national formation “Unification”, called it a “tragedy” and asked for “time to investigate” and respect for the “presumption of innocence”. (news.ro)