Explosive cocktail

At the end of five days and as many nights of rioting following the death of Nahel M., a young man of 17 killed on 27 June after refusing to stop for a roadside inspection in the town of Nanterre, near Paris, the toll is particularly high: the Ministry of the Interior has counted more than 5,000 vehicles set on fire, 10,000 rubbish bin fires, nearly 1,000 buildings burnt, damaged or looted, 250 attacks on police stations and gendarmeries, and more than 700 police officers injured.

The death of Nahel M. has reignited the debate about police brutality in France: between 1977 and 2022, no fewer than 861 people died as a result of police action, according to data from the activist media outlet Basta!. Deaths following a refusal to stop for a roadside inspection have risen sharply in recent years. In 2022, 13 people were killed following a roadside check – six times more than the previous year. One of the reasons behind the increase is a notably vague and dangerous law that came into force in 2017 making it easier for police officers to use their weapons.

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