the government is taking a political risk by pointing out the responsibility of the police

It is undoubtedly first of all the strength of the evidence, the evidence of the first elements of the investigation and especially of the video which shows that the two police officers who checked the young man of 17 years did not seem threatened. After the death of young Nahel, killed by a policeman in Nanterre on Tuesday, the executive pointed the finger at the behavior of the police. Elisabeth Borne directly alluded to these images “shocking” Who “suggest that the legal intervention framework has not been respected”.

Gérald Darmanin has already announced “sanctions” against “a police officer who has not complied with national police legislation“. As for Emmanuel Macron, he expressed his emotion to the family of Nahel and evoked a “inexplicable and inexcusable gesture”.

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Of course, the government is first trying to calm the situation. His great fear is the conflagration of the suburbs on the model of 2005, the day after the death of Zyad and Bouna. The gap has widened between the youth of the neighborhoods and the police. And the incidents, sometimes dramatic, followed one another. Clashes have multiplied in the Paris region over the past two nights. The government is trying to restore calm.

The far right in its element

But the government is also taking a political risk by pointing the finger at the responsibility of these two police officers. The far right hastened to argue: Eric Zemmour accused Emmanuel Macron of “convict a police officer without any form of judgment and vindicate the rioters“. And Marine Le Pen denounced “excessive and irresponsible remarks by the Head of State.

And the two Siamese leaders of the extreme right called to unite with the police. A doubly fallacious argument. First, because the executive wanted justice to do its job to the end. And then because decreeing that it would be necessary to be in solidarity with all the police in the aftermath of such a tragedy is to harm the forces of order. If the policeman who killed the young Nahel is guilty, which will be determined by justice, why should politicians support the whole institution?

To consider that the police would necessarily be innocent, that they would harbor no culprits in their ranks, is as false, and harmful, as repeating that the institution would necessarily be at fault and that the police kill.