Why Has France Been Engulfed By Protests Again?

Zaheer Hussain
July 4, 2023
571

The most recent protests erupted after Nahel, an Algerian-descent boy, was shot dead by French police for allegedly driving without a licence. Despite heavy police deployment, French President Emmanuel Macron has appealed for calm.

Why In The News?

The Latest Protests Erupted After Nahel, A Boy Of Algerian Descent, Was Shot Dead By The French Police For Allegedly Not Having A Driver’s License. French President Emmanuel Macron Has Appealed For Calm Amid Heavy Police Deployment.

What Has Been The Situation?

A Few Months After It Witnessed Massive Protests Over Pension Reforms, France Is On The Boil Again. Over The Last Four Days, Protests Have Swept Across France Following The Death Of A Young Man As A Result Of The Excessive Use Of Force By The Police On June 27.
Cars And Public Buildings Have Been Set On Fire, And Clashes Have Been Reported Between Police And Protestors, Who Have Taken To The Streets To Rally Against French Authorities’ Excesses.
As Per The French Interior Ministry, Since The Protests First Erupted, Over 2,800 People Have Been Arrested, With France Deploying Around 45,000 Police Personnel On The Streets.
President Macaron Has Also Cancelled His Scheduled Visit To Germany In Light Of The Protests. When Reporters Asked PM Elisabeth Born Whether The Imposition Of A State Of Emergency Was Possible, She Said They Were “Looking At All Options, With One Priority: Restoring Order Throughout The Country.”

What Is Happening In France?

Large Scale Protests Were First Reported In Suburban Paris And Have Now Spread To A Few Other Cities In France. These Were Triggered By The Death Of 17-year-old Nahel.
Nahel Was A Resident Of Nanterre, A Suburb To The West Of Paris. He Was Allegedly Driving A Car Without A License Around The City When Two Policemen Stopped Him.
The Car Then Stopped At The Side Of A Road. According To A Video That Has Been Circulating Widely After The Death Of Nahel, At Least One Of The Policemen Had Their Gun Aimed At The Car While They Were Talking.
After The Vehicle Drove Away From The Officials Against Their Orders, A Bullet Was Fired At The Boy, Killing Him, And The Car Then Drove Into A Roadside Pavement. The Other Passengers Fled The Scene.
Belonging To A French Algerian Family, Nahel Was An Only Child Of A Single Mother. He Was Enrolled In A Course To Become An Electrician, As Part Of A Programme To Upskill And Assist Young People From Disadvantaged Areas.

What Has The Scale Of Protests Been Like?

Clashes Between The Police And Protestors Erupted And The Govt Deployed 2,000 Police Personnel. Soon, However, The Protests Spread Across France, With Long-existing Undertones Of Racism In Society And The Disproportionate Use Of Force By The Police At The Centre Of Public Anger.

What Has President Macron Said?

French President Emmanuel Macron Has Appealed For Calm And Termed The Death Of Nahel As “Unforgivable And Inexplicable”. He Has Also Said That “Violence Against Police Stations, Schools, Town Halls, Against The Republic, Is Unjustifiable”, In A Tweet.
He Said He Would Ask Social Media Companies To Take Down Inflammatory Messages, and “Sensitive” Footage Of Rioting And Ask For Those Spreading Such Messages To Be Identified.
Emergency Was Last Imposed Following Weeks Of Rioting In France In 2005, When Two Boys Fleeing Police, To Hide, Got Electrocuted In A Power Substation. Concerns Have Been Raised Over A Possible Repetition Of That Time When Thousands Were Arrested Amid Protests.

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