France riots 2023

France riots 2023

Violent protests shook France after police shot dead a teenager during a traffic stop and then appeared to have lied about the circumstances of the killing.

On 27 June 2023, Nahel Merzouk (also spelled Naël), a 17-year-old French youth of Moroccan and Algerian descent, was shot and killed by the police 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, and police stations, as well as other buildings were attacked. 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." The killing became part of a broader public debate regarding French law enforcement and violence.

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