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Shot teenager’s grandmother pleads for an end to French riots

  • France faced a sixth straight night of unrest after police shot dead a teenager of Algerian descent during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb on Tuesday
  • The grandmother of Nahel, 17, said she was angry at the officer who killed her grandson but not at the police in general and expressed faith in the justice system

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Riot police patrol on a street in Nice, south-eastern France on Saturday night. Photo: AFP
The grandmother of the French teenager shot dead by police during a traffic stop pleaded on Sunday with rioters to stop as the nation faced a sixth straight night of unrest, while authorities expressed outrage by the targeting of a mayor’s home with a burning car that injured family members.
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The grandmother of 17-year-old Nahel, identified only as Nadia, said in a telephone interview with French news broadcaster BFM TV: “Don’t break windows, buses ... schools. We want to calm things down”.

She said she was angry at the officer who killed her grandson but not at the police in general and expressed faith in the justice system as France faces its worst social upheaval in years. Her grandson, identified by only his first name, was buried on Saturday.

Officers had initially stated that the youth had wanted to run them over. Only when video images of the incident, verified by the media, went viral on social networks did they back down from this account.

The policeman who fired the shot has been remanded in custody. A manslaughter investigation has been launched.

French President Emmanuel Macron attends a government emergency meeting on Sunday. Photo: Pool via Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron attends a government emergency meeting on Sunday. Photo: Pool via Reuters

A call for donations for the officer who shot dead Nahel has reached more than €500,000 (US$545,000).

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