a year later, a silent march brings together several hundred people

Several hundred people gathered on Saturday June 29 in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) to pay tribute to Nahel, 17, whose death a year ago caused several days of riots throughout the country. The young man was killed on June 27, 2023 by a bullet fired at close range by a motorcycle police officer who was controlling the vehicle he was driving.

Led away by the victim’s mother and relatives behind a banner “Justice for Nahel and for all the others”, the march began in silence, at the beginning of the afternoon, from the Charles-de-Gaulle esplanade, a few hundred meters from the Pablo-Picasso district where the teenager lived. He headed towards Nelson Mandela Square where the teenager died. Behind them, many young people wearing white T-shirts “Justice for Nahel, executed on 06/27/2023”. “We are here to support the mother”Fatou, 16, who came with friends, explained to AFP.

A reconstruction of the facts took place on May 5 in the presence of the police officer who fired the shot, his colleague who was present that day and their lawyers. Several witnesses were confronted in their statements, in particular to establish whether the person who fired the shot, Florian M., was in mortal danger when he fired the shot. According to elements of the investigation, the vehicle driven by Nahel had been stopped by traffic after a chase. Florian M., a 38-year-old motorcyclist at the time of the events, was charged with murder and placed in pre-trial detention for five months. He was released and placed under judicial supervision in November after several requests from his lawyer.