A French police officer was charged with manslaughter and taken into custody on Thursday, two days after the death of a teenager near Paris, Nachel, which led to two nights of violence in France and a “white march” that ended in confusion and clashes on Thursday, AFP reported.

We will prove that he acted within the law

“The police officer, who was arrested today as part of the judicial investigation for intentional murder, was charged with committing this crime and a preventive measure was chosen,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

“My client went to jail tonight because he fired what he thought was a necessary shot with a weapon provided to him by the state to ensure his safety and the safety of the public,” the policeman’s lawyer told AFP. Laurent-Frank Linard. .

“We will appeal and fight against this court decision by all legal means. We will demonstrate that he acted within the law after the political pressure and street anger subsides and we can make ourselves heard,” he added.

Violent protests

A march in honor of the 17-year-old girl began around 2:00 p.m. (12:00 GMT) in Nanterre (Haute-de-Seine department, west of Paris), where Nachel died after being shot in the chest by a police officer.

The mother of the deceased in a van wearing a T-shirt with the words “Justice for Nahel” opened the march, which gathered 6,200 people, according to a police source. They went to the scene of the tragedy to observe a moment of silence.

But the demonstration ended in confusion, clashes, the use of tear gas and fireworks, several fires and the destruction of street furniture. Several cars were set on fire, according to AFP.

Earlier in the morning, Nanterre prosecutor Pascal Prache announced that the policeman, a 38-year-old motorcyclist, would appear before two investigating judges to face charges, saying the prosecutor believed “the unlawful conditions for the use of the weapon (firearm) have been met”.

“Today, the policeman was sent to court in connection with the opening of criminal proceedings on the fact of intentional murder, he was charged with committing this crime and a preventive measure was chosen in the form of detention,” the prosecutor’s office added.

“False statements”…

The family’s lawyer, Yasin Buzru, complained that the prosecutor “overlooked the possible involvement of the second police officer in the premeditated killing and the possible falsification of public documents as a result of the initial false testimony of the police officer who shot, who officially stated that young Nakheel would try to run him over with his vehicle.”

According to a video confirmed by AFP, one of the two policemen held Nahel at gunpoint and then fired from a distance.

His death was followed by an explosion of violence, particularly in the Paris area, which continued to escalate overnight from Wednesday into Thursday.

In front of the facades of city halls, blackened by flames, numerous charred carcasses of cars and the smell of fire that wafted at dawn in many French cities, President Emmanuel Macron condemned the “unjustified” violence against “institutions and the Republic.”

The targets were schools and police stations, as well as buses in the Paris area.

Buses and trams across the Paris region that were targeted on Wednesday night will stop running on Thursday starting at 9pm.

On the same topic:

• Crisis cell in France after violent clashes sparked by death of 17-year-old boy shot by police