 Image of Merzouk distributed by his mother | |
| Date | 27 June 2023 |
|---|---|
| Location | Nanterre, France |
| Coordinates | 48°53′55″N 2°13′17″E / 48.8985°N 2.2213°E |
| Type | Police shooting |
| Outcome | Mass urban riots |
| Deaths | Nahel Merzouk |
| Accused | Florian M. |
| Charges | Voluntary homicide by a person in authority |
On 27 June 2023, Nahel Merzouk (25 February 2006 – 27 June 2023),[1] a 17-year-old French youth of Moroccan and Algerian descent,[2] was shot at point-blank range and killed by police officer Florian M., when he didn't comply with a request to turn off ignition and attempted to drive away in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris, France. Initial reporting on the incident (informed by police statements) was later contradicted by a video posted online, which led to widespread protests and riots. Symbols of the state such as town halls, schools, police stations, and other buildings were attacked.[3] The Interior Ministry reported that more than 5,000 vehicles had been set on fire, along with 10,000 garbage cans; nearly 1,000 buildings had been burnt, damaged or looted; 250 police stations and gendarmeries had been attacked; and more than 700 police officers had been injured.[4][5]
The killing—condemned by President Emmanuel Macron as "inexplicable" and "inexcusable"[6]—became part of a broader public debate regarding aggressive French law enforcement,[7] racial profiling,[8] immigration,[9] and the stakes of naming the suburban violence a "riot" rather than a "revolt".[10] On 28 June, the president of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, asked deputies "to respect a minute of silence in Nahel's memory".[11][12]
- ^ "matchID - Moteur de recherche des décès". deces.matchid.io. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
- ^ Porter, Catherine (29 June 2023). "Who is Nahel Merzouk?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ "Death of Nahel M.: Over 1,300 arrested during Friday night riots". Le Monde. Associated Press & Agence France-Presse. 1 July 2023. Archived from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
- ^ Albertini, Antoine; Bronner, Luc (3 July 2023). "Riots in France: The appalling toll of days and nights of looting, fires, assaults". Le Monde. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
riots-shake-francewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ M. I. (28 June 2023). "Mineur tué à Nanterre : Macron évoque un acte " inexplicable " et " inexcusable "" [Minor killed in Nanterre: Macron evokes an "inexplicable" and "inexcusable" act] (in French). Le Point. AFP. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ^ Breeden, Aurelien; Méheut, Constant (28 June 2023). "Protests and Sorrow After Fatal Police Traffic Encounter in France". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ Porter, Catherine (2 July 2023). "A Fatal Shooting and a Hijab Ban: Two Faces of France's Racial Divisions". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
In 2017, an investigation by France's civil liberties ombudsman, the Défenseur des Droits, found that "young men perceived to be Black or Arab" were 20 times as likely to be subjected to police identity checks compared with the rest of the population.
- ^ Barbarit, Simon (11 July 2023). "Sécurité, immigration : le tournant identitaire de LR embarrasse la majorité sénatoriale". Public Sénat (in French). Archived from the original on 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ Lescarmontier, Julie (5 July 2023). "Mort de Nahel. Violences, révolte… Pourquoi l'expression " émeute " s'est imposée". Ouest France (in French). Archived from the original on 12 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ "Une minute de silence à l'Assemblée nationale pour Nahel, tué à Nanterre". LCI (in French). 28 June 2023. Archived from the original on 28 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ "France braces for protests after 'unforgivable' police shooting". France 24. AFP. 28 June 2023. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.