On Tuesday a 17-year-old was driving through Paris when he was pulled over for a traffic stop. Two officers stood on either side of his car as they questioned him, then his car lurched forward, and he was shot dead.
The killing of Nahel, who was of Algerian and Moroccan descent, caused uproar in the capital – it was the 13th death during a traffic stop in France that year, and most of the dead were Black or Arab origin. In the days that followed the outrage spread to cities across France, and even beyond into countries such as Belgium or Switzerland.
When Nahel’s mother called for a peaceful march in memory of her son, thousands took to the streets in mourning. But the killing had shone a spotlight on police brutality and systemic racism in France and sparked a fury that turned into overwhelming violence – with cars burned, public buildings attacked and shops smashed. Rioters drove a car and threw rockets at the home of one town mayor whose wife and child were injured as they fled. Soon countries such as China were warning their citizens about travelling to the country.
Now Nahel’s grandmother has called for calm, as Macron fights to regain control of the situation. Tens of thousands of police were deployed and more than a thousand people have been arrested. A week on from the teenager’s death Angelique Chrisafis tells Nosheen Iqbal about the deep anger it has unleashed and what could be done to tackle it.
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