France in chaos after shooting dead a Muslim teenager by police

RELIGIOUS NEWS AGENCY (REDNA) – France is in a state of chaos as violent protests have been spreading around the country following the shooting dead of a 17-year-old Muslim by police during a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday.

In the aftermath of the killing of Nahel M, people have taken to the streets on three consecutive nights to protest, setting cars alight and throwing stones and fireworks.

At least 667 people were arrested across France overnight on Thursday following a third day of protests over the death of the teenager.

A video shared on social media showed two police officers beside a Mercedes AMG car, with one shooting at the teenage driver at close range as he pulled away. He died shortly afterward from his wounds, the local prosecutor said.

The teenager, who was too young to hold a full license in France, was driving illegally, a source familiar with the investigation told Reuters. The Nanterre prosecutor said the boy failed on Tuesday to obey the officers’ orders.

Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron has urged parents to keep teenagers at home to limit rioting in French cities. He also blamed social media for fuelling copycat violence and said it had played a “significant role in the events of the past few days.”

On Thursday, 40,000 police officers were deployed across France – nearly four times the number mobilised on Wednesday.

And on Friday, following a second crisis meeting, France’s interior minister Gerald Darmanin issued an order to stop buses and tram services at night.

However, there were few signs that appeals from the government to de-escalate the situation are having any effect.

In Nanterre, where the shooting took place, protesters torched cars, barricaded streets and hurled projectiles at police following a vigil.

National police said on Thursday night that officers also faced new incidents in other areas of the country – in Marseille, Lyon, Pau, Toulouse and Lille, including fires and fireworks.

Meanwhile, the police officer who shot and killed the teenager asked the family of the boy for forgiveness.