Nahel’s 17-year-old grandmother, identified only as Nadia, said in a telephone interview with the French news network BFM TV: “Don’t break windows, buses… schools. We want to calm things down.”
She said she was angry with the officer who killed her grandson but not with police in general and expressed faith in the justice system as France grapples with its worst social upheaval in years. Her grandson, identified only by his first name, was buried Saturday.
The violence seemed to be abating. But as another night approached, the Ministry of the Interior announced that 45,000 policemen would once again be deployed on the streets to counter violence. Nahel is of Algerian descent and died in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
President Emmanuel Macron led a special security meeting on Sunday night and it was not clear if he would make public comment. Due to the turmoil, the president delayed what would have been the first state visit to Germany by a French president in 23 years, due to begin on Sunday.
Police said they made another 719 arrests on Saturday night, bringing the total number of people detained to more than 3,000 after a massive security deployment. Hundreds of police officers and firefighters have been injured in the violence, though authorities have not said how many protesters were hurt.
French authorities were horrified on Sunday after a burning car crashed into the house of the mayor of L’Hay-les-Roses. Several police stations and town halls have been set on fire or vandalized in recent days, but such a personal attack on a mayor’s home is unusual.
Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun said his wife and one of their children were injured by the attack at 1:30 am while they were sleeping, saying it represented a new stage of “horror and ignominy” in the riots.
Regional prosecutor Stephane Hardouin has opened an attempted murder investigation, telling French television that a preliminary investigation suggests the car was intended to ram the house and set it on fire. He said a flame accelerator in a bottle was found in the car.
Macron has blamed social media for fueling the violence. The justice minister has warned that young people who share calls for violence on Snapchat or other apps could face prosecution.
Video of the murder showed two officers at the car window, one with his gun pointed at the driver. As the teen moved forward, the officer fired once through the windshield. The officer accused of killing Nahel was given a preliminary charge of voluntary manslaughter.
Thirteen people who failed to comply with traffic stops were shot dead by French police in 2022, and three this year, prompting demands for greater accountability.
___
Anna reported from Nanterre; Jade le Deley in Clichy-sous-Bois, and Angela Charlton and Helena Alves in Paris; and Jocelyn Noveck in New York contributed to this report.
FUENTE: Associated Press
