Why did the police shoot a teenager in depth, causing the most serious riot in France in 18 years? Serious riots in France | police shooting and killing young people

In recent days, the shooting and killing of a 17-year-old boy by police has sparked ongoing riots in France. It has been almost a week since June 28th.

After deploying tens of thousands of police and even armored vehicles and helicopters, the French Ministry of the Interior announced on the 2nd that the situation has eased compared to the previous nights.

But according to some media reports, sporadic conflicts still occur, and it remains to be seen whether the riots will be quelled.

The public opinion points out that this riot is the most serious violent conflict that has occurred in France in 18 years, and also the most serious crisis that French President Macron has faced since the "Yellow Vest" movement in 2018. Behind it lies the long-standing chronic illness of French society, which will cast a shadow over Macron's second term in office.

It feels like being on a battlefield

The origin of the riot can be traced back to the gunshot on June 27th.

On that day, in the city of Nantes in the Haute Seine department of France, a police officer stopped a car and opened fire, resulting in the death of 17-year-old Nahler, who was driving.

According to the Nantaier prosecutor's office, at the time, the police noticed a young driver speeding and running a red light on the bus lane, so they chased after the driver. But the police said that the latter refused to park and attempted to escape. During this process, a police officer fired at Nahler.

However, the content displayed in the on-site video is inconsistent with the police's statement, which raises questions about the motive behind the police shooting. French media reported that several French officials and security experts admitted that the video appeared to show police actions violating procedures.

After the incident, it triggered strong reactions from various sectors in France and quickly evolved into a nationwide riot. Starting from the evening of June 28th, violent conflicts erupted in several cities including Paris, Marseille, Lyon, and Nice.

On the streets, vehicles were burned, shops were smashed and robbed, and the city hall, schools, and police stations representing government public institutions were also attacked. The police also clashed with the demonstrators.

From the leaked scene footage, some people commented that they couldn't believe it was France, as if they were on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Even foreign tourists have been affected by the riots. For example, on the evening of June 29th, a bus carrying Chinese tourists was attacked by rioters in Marseille.

The riots even spread to neighboring countries. Belgium and Switzerland have also shown signs of unrest.

To quell the riots and maintain public order, France has deployed 45000 police and gendarmes nationwide. Special police officers, armored vehicles, and helicopters were dispatched to Paris, Marseille, and Lyon for reinforcements.

At the same time, large-scale public activities have been cancelled nationwide, and some municipalities have implemented curfews. Currently, thousands of people have been arrested.

According to Reuters, on Saturday, relatives and friends held a funeral for the boy who was shot dead. Compared to the previous nights, the riots in various regions have weakened on Saturday and Sunday mornings, but sporadic violent conflicts still occur.

Ignite a backlog of anger

How could a police shooting of a teenager cause a storm in France, escalating into the most serious violent riot in 18 years?

If viewed from the perspective of the incident itself, whether the police have excessively enforced the law has become a major point of controversy.

France revised a law in 2017 to give police greater power to use weapons. According to the new law, if the police believe that a moving vehicle will pose a danger to their own and others' lives, they can shoot.

The police union believes that this law can better protect police, but critics point out that the new regulations are too vague and may lead to unnecessary deaths. The latest event is clear evidence.

According to a survey cited by Reuters, since the implementation of the new regulations, 13 French people have been shot dead by police in 2022 for not following the rules in traffic congestion. Since the beginning of this year, three people, including Nahler, have died as a result. Most of the victims are of African or Arab descent.

Compared to whether the police are over enforcing the law, what attracts more public attention is the social issues exposed by the incident in France.

More comments suggest that the young man being shot by the police was just the trigger, and the hidden social flaws beneath the incident may be the root cause of this nationwide riot.

The identity and background of the young man who was shot, including descendants of North African immigrants, immigrant communities from the suburbs of Paris, lack of higher education, and earning money through courier services, have sparked more contemplation.

The Financial Times commented that the riots have once again exposed the polarization of French politics, and the social situation is becoming increasingly tense. The impoverished communities in France, mostly composed of ethnic minorities, suffer from racial discrimination, violent law enforcement, and unfair treatment all year round. This feeling of being abandoned by the state makes impoverished communities like powder kegs, which are prone to conflict due to stimulation.

Xing Hua, an expert on European issues at the China Institute of International Studies, pointed out that due to historical reasons, France has received many immigrants from former colonies. However, for a long time, the French government has not taken effective measures to better integrate foreign immigrants into local society. As time goes by, the contradictions between the two sides become increasingly acute and prominent.

For example, the French government is lax in governing areas where foreign immigrants gather. In terms of municipal construction, employment security, and other aspects, these areas often lag behind local communities.

Emile Charbar, a historian at the University of Edinburgh, stated that although the French government has increased investment in impoverished areas where immigrants gather, the unemployment rate, poverty rate, and education level in these areas have not narrowed the gap with other regions of France since the 1990s, and some areas have even become worse.

For example, regarding the issue of racial discrimination, Xing Hua pointed out that although this issue does not become an explicit existence in France like in the United States, it is at least an implicit existence. Immigrants feel that they do not receive the respect, understanding, and sympathy they deserve.

In this incident, the trust gap between the police and immigrants was unprecedentedly exposed.

Although the French authorities do not recognize the existence of systematic racism in law enforcement agencies and deny that the police involved have racial discrimination, foreign immigrants have their own real feelings.

Yakubi, who grew up watching Nahler, said that police often resort to violent means against ethnic minorities. After Nahler was shot, it ignited the long accumulated anger among people.

Meanwhile, data cited by Agence France Presse shows that in last year's presidential election, up to 68% of French police voted for anti immigrant far right candidates.

Ding Chun, Director of the Center for European Studies at Fudan University and President of the Shanghai European Society, believes that the evolution from a shooting incident to widespread unrest reflects the complex problems of French society.

One is the deep-rooted contradictions between races and social classes. Especially for the second and third generations of immigrants, influenced by the values of freedom, democracy, equality, and universal love, they are more sensitive to unfairness and discrimination in reality. Moreover, the 17-year-old boy who was shot was more likely to resonate with young people and have a stronger sense of immersion.

A noteworthy detail is that, according to previous statements by the French police, the average age of the arrested rioters is only 17 years old.

"The French government and mainstream society have not taken the existing problems seriously, and have ignored the long-standing anger and dissatisfaction of foreign immigrants, especially the demands of young people in this group." Xing Hua said that most of them have not received higher education and do not have good job opportunities.

Secondly, under the new situation, the French economy and society are facing multiple challenges, exacerbating social instability. The Russia-Ukraine conflict and western sanctions have pushed up the cost of living in France; Policy reforms such as delaying retirement touch the "cheese" of the people; The delayed reform has also dragged down economic growth.

In fact, the Macron government has already promised to implement a plan to support impoverished communities, but due to the tight national public finances, the progress of the plan has been delayed.

Is Macron under pressure to govern?

The outside world believes that this is the most serious crisis that Macron has faced since the "Yellow Vest" movement in 2018.

The seriousness of this can be seen from the disruption of Macron's diplomatic agenda: he withdrew from his home country midway before the end of the EU summit, and postponed the first state visit of the French president to Germany in 23 years.

Analysts believe that following intense protests over pension reforms this year, the latest unrest has set new roadblocks for Macron's second term, which may put pressure on his implementation of domestic and foreign policies.

Internally, the first challenge will be how to restore order.

The French newspaper Le Monde commented that Macron needs to strike a balance between maintaining republican order and stopping police violence in law enforcement. He attempted to prevent a cycle of violence by strengthening law enforcement and political communication, but he did not respond to right-wing calls and declared a state of emergency.

"People will judge Macron based on his ability to ease tensions," said French historian Jean Garriguez.

At the same time, how to fundamentally solve the problem of foreign immigrants integrating into local society is a greater challenge.

The Guardian commented that Macron must find a way to deal with the growing anger and resentment in marginalized communities.

However, Ding Chun believes that changing social issues such as racial discrimination is a systematic project and it is difficult to achieve immediate results. In the future, it is likely that similar riots will be triggered again due to certain unexpected events.

For example, as early as 2005, two French teenagers were electrocuted while evading police pursuit at a substation in the suburbs of Paris, which sparked a three week long riot in France.

As the Associated Press has pointed out, although nearly 20 years have passed, the deep-rooted problems in French society still exist, and today's social media has made the spread of such events faster and wider.

Secondly, "the riots will give the opposition a new leverage to attack the government, and Macron will face more pressure domestically," Xing Hua said.

At present, Macron has been under attack from both sides: the right-wing political party's response to Macron's attack is too weak, which is tantamount to condoning crime and disrupting order; The left-wing political party criticized Macron for ignoring low-income communities and allowing the police to use high-pressure methods.

Ding Chun believes that after the riots, there may be changes in the strength of French political factions, and Macron's centrist party will be under pressure from both the far right and far left, even affecting the next presidential election.

Once again, advancing the domestic reform agenda may face setbacks.

Bruno Courtres, a researcher at the Paris Institute of Political Science, said that Macron has always hoped that the cabinet reshuffle can inject vitality into the government, get rid of the crisis caused by previous pension reforms, and smoothly enter the summer to continue promoting the reform agenda. However, this riot may bring risks to subsequent reforms.

Some comments suggest that for Macron, the second term may only serve as a firefighter fighting the fire, rather than a bold reformer.

Externally, the 2024 Olympic Games, the intention to exert influence in the mediation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the promotion of Europe towards strategic autonomy and other foreign-related activities or related diplomatic agendas may be hampered by the riots.

Some media comments suggest that the riots have tarnished France's international image and will also damage Macron's leadership image and international status.

In Xing Hua's view, this sudden and unpredictably violent riot dealt a heavy blow to Macron in multiple aspects. From his intention to mediate the Russia-Ukraine conflict to his desire to participate in the BRICS Summit, Makron has always demonstrated a distinctive diplomatic stance and ambition. However, after the riots, the realization of these ambitions will inevitably be affected by changes in domestic events.