Riots, racial tensions erupt in France after fatal police shooting

(CN) — A town hall building in a Paris suburb was lit on fire by rioters, and protests broke out elsewhere in France after a motorcycle police officer shot and killed a 17-year-old delivery worker on Tuesday for driving away from a traffic stop.

The shooting and violent protests shocked the nation and once again brought into drastic relief long-simmering racial and religious tensions in France, home to the European Union's largest Muslim population.

Videos of the Tuesday morning shooting show the youth now identified as Nahel M. in a rental car when two police officers on motorcycles attempted to stop him in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre. Prosecutors said police tried to halt him for allegedly breaking road rules. A passenger in Nahel's car was injured, and police are seeking another person in the vehicle who fled the scene, according to the Associated Press.

The officer who shot the teen at close range through the driver's side window was detained and faces criminal charges, prosecutors said. Though the two police officers claimed in a statement that the suspect was shot because they were in danger of being run over by the vehicle, videos posted on social media cast doubt on that claim.

Yassine Bouzrou, a lawyer for Nahel's family, told reporters that video images “clearly showed a policeman killing a young man in cold blood,” as reported by Al Jazeera. This was the second police shooting this year during a traffic stop; there were 13 last year.

The killing set off riots in Nanterre and in the Aubiers suburb of Bordeaux. In Nanterre, fires were set to an annex of the district town hall, as well as to street barricades, at least one bus stop and dozens of vehicles. Protesters threw fireworks at police, and police responded with stun grenades and tear gas. By Wednesday, 31 protesters had been arrested and about two dozen police officers were injured.

Fearing more violence, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin deployed 2,000 officers to patrol Nanterre and other suburban areas of Paris for Wednesday night.

The outskirts of Paris, areas known as banlieues, are home to many descendants from former French colonies and former client states, such as Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Syria and Lebanon.

France remains home to a large numbers of Muslims, mostly from North Africa's Maghreb region, who immigrated as much-needed manual laborers in the wake of World War II's destruction.

Government policies toward these populations have been criticized for largely ignoring their well-being and claims as ethnic or religious minorities. Tensions have intensified in recent decades, exacerbated by Islamic terrorist attacks and growing xenophobia that's fueled a rise of far-right voices in politics, on television and in society.

The Nanterre shooting quickly stoked political rows with those seeing it as a disturbing example of an “Americanization of policing” and others identifying the shooting as proof that lawlessness is becoming pervasive in France.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who's faced criticism both for harsh police tactics and anti-Muslim policies, placed the blame on the officers.

“A teenager was killed. That is inexplicable and unforgivable,” he said Tuesday during a visit to Marseille, a Mediterranean city that suffers poverty and crime. The president was reviewing efforts to revive the city.

Macron said the shooting had “moved the entire nation.”

His response, though, was attacked by police unions and Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Rally who has overtaken Macron in some opinion polls. Le Pen called Macron's remarks “very excessive” and “irresponsible.”

“It's up to the justice system to respond,” Le Pen said. “The president is prepared to ignore constitutional principles in a bid to put out a potential fire.”

French soccer star Kylian Mbappé, who grew up in the Parisian suburbs, said he was outraged by the latest police killing.

“I feel bad for my France,” he tweeted and called it an “unacceptable situation.”

“All my thoughts go out to Nahel’s family and loved ones, this little angel who left far too soon,” Mbappé said.

French actor Omar Sy called for “justice” to “honor the memory of this child.” The award-winning actor was born in the Parisian banlieues to parents who had emigrated from West Africa.

Joseph Downing, a scholar at Aston University in England and author of “French Muslims in Perspective,” said the Nanterre shooting was the result of poor policing practices in the banlieues.

“The police are either absent and non-responsive or they are armed to the teeth and heavy handed,” he tweeted. “France has cut back on neighborhood community policing.”

Downing added: “French police have escaped the scrutiny” seen in the United Kingdom and United States “because their unions are strong and politicians are scared of confronting them.”

“This means brutality is unchecked,” he said. “Macron has also used the police extensively to brutally crush demonstrations so even as a reformer is wary of confronting them — he needs them onside to police the civil unrest caused by his socio-economic reforms.”

Courthouse News reporter Cain Burdeau is based in the European Union.

Follow @cainburdeau

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