A decorated French police officer shot and killed a 17-year-old French-Algerian, Nahel M., who raced away from a traffic stop while reportedly endangering the life of a pedestrian and a cyclist.
The incident was caught on video surveillance.
CRAZY idea…maybe DONT drive erratically/dangerously & DONT ignore police requests to stop & DONT try & escape while being detained at gunpoint?
Send the Algerian rioters back to where they came from #RaceCard #JusticePourNahel #Nanterre #France #FrenchRiots #DeservedIt #Nahel pic.twitter.com/F6M5i7yHv7
— Guy Incognito (@GuyIncognito742) June 29, 2023
Massive demonstrations ensued that were — you guessed it — “mostly peaceful.”
Riots in #France over killing of 17-year-old #French–#Algerian teenager by police officer in #Nanterre. pic.twitter.com/TZiO5Sitec
— Tarm News (@TarmNews) June 29, 2023
Day three of the resistance & #Paris is burning again. French cops executed an Arab kid in #Nanterre on Wednesday – now they reap the whirlwind. Class struggle means always standing up for your comrades. Solidarity with the French workers. #antireport #Nahel pic.twitter.com/Qid9FgYlEv
— GhostofDurruti (@DurrutiRiot) June 29, 2023
French President Emanuel Macron called the shooting “inexcusable” and then toddled off to see the farewell concert of Elton John. That’s when all hell broke loose.
So who was this angelic soul so brutally gunned down by French police?
According to information from Europe 1 news outlets, Nahel M. had 15 mentions in the criminal history file and had been implicated five times for refusals to comply with police officers since 2021, thus all in less than two years.
In addition, police recorded him for crimes including “concealment” and disorderly conduct against police in 2020. In February 2022, he had been implicated in the use of false license plates, concealment and driving without insurance.
In January and March 2023, police arrested him for the consumption and sale of narcotics.
Not exactly an Algerian mob hitman, but on the other hand, running away from police and nearly killing innocent bystanders creates a situation for the police officer to make a choice to protect law-abiding citizens or not.
The officer was no nervous rookie either. He was a highly decorated and experienced police officer.
Assigned to the public order and traffic department (DOPC) as a biker for the Hauts-de-Seine territorial traffic and road safety company since September 2022, this father has received a series of distinctions during his career in the national police, which began 10 years ago. According to our information, this former soldier received eight letters of congratulations and an internal security medal.
His action during the demonstrations of the yellow vests in 2020, as well as his role in the arrest of an organizer of kidnappings and theft in Val-d’Oise in May 2021, also earned him decorations by the then prefect of police, Didier Lallement, two bronze medals for acts of courage and dedication.
More than 150 arrests have been made and dozens of vehicles torched. Also, several buildings, including the local city hall, were set on fire.
There’s more to this story than meets the eye — on both sides.
The circumstances leading to his death are puzzling. How did he come to be driving a bright yellow rented Mercedes? Why were the motorcycle traffic cops so wound up about a banal traffic violation? One of the policemen is heard on the video clip saying: “You’re going to get a bullet in the head if you’re not careful.”
Relations between police and suburban youth are appalling. That has not changed since 2005. In France, the least experienced officers often end up policing the most difficult areas. That has not changed either.
The government has deployed 5,000 police in Paris and 40,000 across the country. Whether that can deter the rioters remains to be seen.
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