France riots: Nahel M's grandmother appeals for calm; believes arrested cop will be punished (WATCH)
By Sunita Iyer | First Published Jul 2, 2023, 8:27 PM ISTNahel M's grandmother has called for calm after a fifth night of unrest across France after her 17-year-old grandson was killed by the police.
The death of 17-year-old Nahel M, who was shot by a police officer during a routine traffic stop in Paris on Tuesday, has triggered widespread riots across France. Even as riots continue in the French capital, especially in neighbourhood of Nanterre, the teenager's grandmother on Sunday appealed for calm after a fifth night of unrest across the country that has led to over 1,300 people's arrest.
"Don't destroy the schools, don't destroy the buses. They are other mothers who take these buses," Nadia told BFM TV. “They are using Nahel as an excuse", she says. "We want things to calm down”.
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"My heart is in pain," she said about the money donated for the police officer who got arrested after shooting Nahel dead on Tuesday. But Nahel's grandmother said she has confidence that the police officer will be punished like everyone else.
"Nahel is dead, he's dead," she added. "My daughter is lost... She doesn't have a life any more."
In her interview with BFM TV, Nahel's grandmother added that she "resents" the men who stopped and killed her grandson, but that doesn't mean that she hates all other police officers. "Fortunately, they are there," she noted, emphasising that she "believes in justice".
Nahel M of Algerian origin was shot at point-blank range in the chest on Tuesday. The officer who shot Nahel is reportedly being investigated for voluntarily causing someone's death after a preliminary inquiry found that the requirements for the legal use of the firearm were "not met." The officer, however, has asserted that he shot the youngster because he thought he was going to run someone over with his automobile. The event has once again brought to light long-standing complaints about policing and the intense racial tensions in contemporary France.
According to reports, Nahel was a delivery driver for takeout and had spent the previous three years playing rugby for the Pirates of Nanterre. He had also participated in an integrating course for youngsters who were having academic difficulties, which was run by the organisation Ovale Citoyen.
Although the teen's family hasn't disclosed his last name, his mother Mounia reared him as the sole child.
According to Nahel's mother, her kid was murdered because he had a "Arab face." "The officer saw an Arab face, a little kid, and wanted to take his life," she claimed.
Nahel reportedly enrolled in a Suresnes institution to pursue an electrical engineering degree. However, he had a dismal track record of college attendance. Nahel had also run into difficulty in the past and was well-known to the police, but according to his family's attorneys, he had never been arrested.
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