Blog

The ongoing unrest in France, sparked by the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Algerian-French youth, Nahel Merzouk, during a routine traffic stop in Nanterre, a Paris suburb, has drawn global attention. The incident, captured on video, has led to widespread protests, resulting in a ban on demonstrations in some cities and travel advisories. A witness to the incident has added a chilling detail to the narrative, claiming that the police threatened the teenager with the words, “I’ll put a bullet in your head” before the fatal shooting. The witness also reported that two police officers repeatedly hit the boy with their gun butts and began to threaten to shoot as soon as the car stopped. This incident has ignited long-simmering tensions between police and young people in France’s housing projects, who struggle with poverty and unemployment. The officer involved in the shooting is under formal investigation for voluntary homicide and is being held in prison in preventive detention. The case has become a critical test for justice in France.