France in Turmoil as Boy’s Deliberate Assassination by Policeman Sparks Nationwide Outrage
BY: Hana Saada
ALGIERS- France is currently grappling with intense unrest and a deepening crisis as evidence emerges proving the involvement of a policeman in the deliberate assassination of a young boy named Nahel. The incident has ignited widespread anger and criticism from various segments of French society, with accusations surfacing regarding the police force’s tendency towards violence and racism.
The tragic killing of Nahel, a boy of Algerian origin, occurred on Tuesday morning. Initially, French police sources claimed that the boy had attempted to run over two policemen on motorcycles, but authorities later retracted this statement, stating that Nael had not complied with a checkpoint and had tried to evade it.
A video clip capturing the incident quickly circulated on social media platforms, revealing two policemen engaging in a conversation with the driver before one of them fired a fatal shot as the car attempted to drive away. In the video, a voice can be heard uttering the chilling words, “You will take a bullet in the head.”
In response to the boy’s killing, protests have erupted throughout France, with citizens from all walks of life expressing their outrage. French President Emmanuel Macron convened a ministerial crisis cell, while Interior Minister Gerald Darmanan announced the arrest of dozens of individuals involved in the demonstrations.
During the opening of the meeting on Thursday morning, President Macron denounced the “unjustifiable” scenes of violence directed towards institutions and the Republic. Interior Minister Darmanan, in a tweet, decried the “unbearable” acts of violence against symbols of the Republic, citing the burning and attacking of municipalities, schools, and police stations. He also called out those who failed to call for calm.
Clashes between police forces and protesting youths have escalated for two consecutive nights since the incident, beginning in the Nanterre region where Nahel was killed and subsequently spreading to Lyon, Lille, and Toulouse. In response, the authorities have deployed thousands of security personnel to maintain control and order.
In the suburb of Clamart, located in the Upper Seine region west of Paris, protesters set cars and several tramway vehicles ablaze. Additionally, a school in Bezons, near Nanterre, was targeted and attacked. In Toulouse, multiple cars were set on fire, and petrol bombs were hurled at police forces.
Nahel’s mother has called for a march to be held in honor of her son on Thursday afternoon in Nanterre, where their family resides. In a video clip posted on TikTok, she declared, “It is a revolution for my son.”
The tragic and deliberate killing of Nahel has not only shaken France but also prompted a nationwide outcry against police violence and racial discrimination.
