17-year-old Nahel’s grandmother says rioters just want to cause havoc
The grandmother of the teenager shot dead by police during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb said on Sunday she wanted the nationwide rioting triggered by his killing to end, as France braced for a potential sixth night of unrest.
17-year-old Nahel was shot dead by police when he failed to comply with a traffic stop last Tuesday, sparking widespread protests against police discrimination across the nation.
Nahel’s grandmother said the rioters were using the 17-year-old’s death as an excuse to cause havoc and that the family wanted calm.
“I’m telling them to stop,” she told BFM TV.
“Nahel is dead. My daughter is lost … she doesn’t have a life anymore.”
According to Interior Minister Gerald Darmnin, 45,000 police were deployed on Sunday night to deter rioters who torched cars, looted stores, and targeted town halls and police stations — as well as the home of the mayor in a Paris suburb, which was attacked while his family was sleeping inside.
As a result of the crisis, President Emmanuel Macron postponed a state visit to Germany. He was scheduled to meet with leaders of parliament and with more than 220 mayors of towns and cities that have been affected by riots on Monday and Tuesday this week.
Following Saturday’s funeral for Nahel in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, 719 arrests were reported, down from 1,311 on Friday and 875 on Thursday.
“There was evidently less damage but we will remain mobilised in the coming days. We are very focused, nobody is claiming victory,” Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said.
