France is currently going through a tough time with an uproar across their biggest cities as riots and protests are breaking out. This is a result of the shooting of 17 year old teenage boy Nahel Merzouk.
Nahel Merzouk was shot by a police officer during a traffic stop on Tuesday in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. Footage of the incident filmed by a bystander showed two officers standing on the driver’s side of the car, one of whom fired his gun at the driver despite not appearing to be in any immediate danger. This is an act of police brutality as although the cops were not in any danger and Nahel was cooperating, the cops openly fired resulting in Nahel’s death. This tragedy has sparked three consecutive nights of destructive unrest and revived a heated debate about discrimination and policing in low-income, multi-ethnic communities.
There has been many violent protests across the nation in response to this incident. A sizable number of people across France remain shocked and angry, especially young men and women of color who have been victims of discrimination by police. This has led to thousands of arrests across cities including Paris and Marseille after huge gatherings took to the streets to make a stand against the French police. Rioters have been torching cars and buildings and looting shops. Full chaos has erupted. Police and firefighters are struggling to contain protesters and extinguish numerous blazes through the night that damaged schools, police stations and town halls or other public buildings.
The French government is facing many challenges right now from the original shooting to the many implications that came forth from it. They are working to restoring order across the country. This incident represents how police brutality and incidents against one person can create unity among people who find these incidents to be wrong.
Ayan Kumar's Blog 