Who was Nahel M, who was shot by French police in Nanterre?
Nahel M, 17, was killed in Nanterre, west of Paris, where he grew up, causing riots throughout France.
Being the only child raised by his mother, he held a job as a delivery driver for a takeaway and participated in rugby league. His education was characterized as disorganized. He enrolled at a college in Suresnes, located nearby his residence, to pursue training as an electrician. Individuals familiar with Nahel, who had Algerian heritage, asserted that he was highly regarded within Nanterre where he resided with his mother Mounia and apparently lacked knowledge of his father's identity. His attendance track record at college was unsatisfactory. While not having a criminal record, he had caught the attention of law enforcement authorities. Prior to her departure for work, he bid farewell to his mother Mounia with an affectionate kiss on this particular occasion
In response to his mother's question, "What's next?" "I devoted everything I had to him," she explained. "I don't have 10 children. He was my life, my best friend." His grandmother described him as a kind, good boy. "A refusal to stop doesn't give you a licence to kill," said Olivier Faure of the Socialist Party. "All children deserve justice."
Over the past three years, Nahel has been a member of the Pirates of Nanterre rugby club. During this time, he participated in an integration initiative organized by Ovale Citoyen, an association aimed at assisting struggling teenagers in school. This program focused on providing opportunities for individuals from disadvantaged areas to enter apprenticeships, with Nahel pursuing training as an electrician. Amongst those familiar with him was Jeff Puech, the president of Ovale Citoyen and a local adult who had recently interacted with Nahel. According to Jeff Puech, Nahel used rugby as a means to overcome challenges and integrate both socially and professionally. He emphasized that Nahel was determined to succeed rather than being someone who succumbed to difficult circumstances.
The French government backed the family of a teenager who was shot
He commended the teenager's outstanding demeanor, which starkly contrasted with the negative portrayal of him on social media. He had become acquainted with Nahel while he resided with his mother in the Vieux-Pont neighborhood of Nanterre before their relocation to the Pablo Picasso estate. Shortly after Nahel's passing, Marouane, an ambulance worker, launched into a passionate rant against a police officer, later explaining that he saw Nahel as a younger brother figure. Marouane witnessed him grow up as a kind and helpful child who never displayed any aggression or violence towards others, as he shared with reporters.
His mother believes the officer who shot him "saw an Arab face, a little kid, and wanted to kill him". "I have friends who are officers - they're with me wholeheartedly," she told France 5 TV, blaming only the individual who fired the shot, not the police. "May Allah grant him mercy," read a banner on Paris' ring road outside Parc des Princes.
According to a young man in another French city who was advocating for justice for Nahel, instances of police violence occur frequently, particularly if you are Arab or black. However, Yassine Bouzrou, the family's lawyer, emphasized that this issue is not solely about racism but rather about ensuring justice. He explained to the BBC that France's law and judicial system offer protection to police officers which fosters a culture of impunity. In Nahel's case, he had experienced up to five police checks since 2021 where he refused to comply with orders to stop.
Just last weekend, he was reportedly detained for refusing to comply and was scheduled to appear before a juvenile court in September. His recent troubles primarily revolved around cars. The riots sparked by his death serve as a reminder to many in France of the events that occurred in 2005, when two teenagers named Zyed Benna and Bouna Traoré were fatally electrocuted while fleeing from the police after playing football. They mistakenly ran into an electricity substation in Clichy-sous-Bois, a suburb of Paris. Mohammed, a teenager from Clichy, expressed how easily it could have been him or his younger brother involved in such tragic circumstances.
