In France, a silent march was organized this Saturday afternoon in Nanterre, in memory of Nahel, a 17-year-old young man killed by a police officer in June 2023, after refusing to comply. Having become a symbol of police violence, the tragedy had provoked uprisings in working-class neighborhoods across the country for several nights. A year later, several hundred people gathered around Nahel’s mother and her friends for a tribute.
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“ The pain I have inside me is unbearable, I can’t even describe it to you. »: in front of the crowd that had come to pay tribute to her son Nahel, Mounia Merzouk courageously spoke, stifling her sobs. No matter what we do, we can’t take your child away like that, we don’t deserve that. We didn’t put our hands on you to have your notice taken away from you overnight like that “,
At these words, Farid couldn’t help but think of his children. “ How, in a so-called state of law, are we going to tell our children, “pay attention to the police?“, he said with a keffiyeh on his shoulders, like many this afternoon in Nanterre. Because I know, unfortunately, that if I am checked, my children may not come home. »
After a silent march against police impunity, a few drops of rain accompanied a prayer. All in the square where, a year ago, Nahel lost his life.
Read alsoDeath of Nahel: “Since this tragedy, the relationship with the police has become more complicated”