SHAFAQNA- Protests continued in France for a second night over killing of a 17-year-old by police. Approximately 2,000 riot police were called up in suburbs around Paris on Wednesday (28 June 2023) night following the fatal, point-blank range shooting on Tuesday morning of the teenager during a traffic check in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
Protesters set fire to rubbish bins and fireworks were set off in Nanterre on Wednesday night, as well as in other communes of the Hauts-de-Seine region to the west of Paris, and in the eastern city of Dijon.
In the southern city of Toulouse, several cars were torched and responding police and firefighters were pelted with projectiles as thick black smoke billowed high into the sky, a police source said. About 16 people were arrested across the country, police said shortly after midnight on Wednesday.
Anger over the killing spawned unrest in multiple towns around Paris on Tuesday night. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said 31 people were arrested, 24 police officers injured and 40 cars burned overnight on Tuesday and into the early hours of Wednesday.
The victim, identified as Nahel M from Nanterre, was pulled over by two police officers for breaking traffic rules while driving a yellow Mercedes on Tuesday morning.
Police initially reported that an officer had shot at the teenager because he was driving his car at him but this version of events was contradicted by a video circulating on social media. That footage shows the two police officers standing by the side of the stationary car, with one pointing a weapon at the driver.
A voice is heard saying: “You are going to get a bullet in the head.” The police officer then appears to fire as the car abruptly drives off.
The 38-year-old policeman filmed firing the lethal shot was taken into custody afterwards and is under investigation for voluntary manslaughter.
Source: Al Jazeera