In France, a silent march was organized this Saturday afternoon in Nanterre, in memory of Nahel, a 17-year-old young man killed by a police officer in June 2023, after refusing to comply. Having become a symbol of police violence, the tragedy had provoked uprisings in working-class neighborhoods across the country for several nights. A year later, several hundred people gathered around Nahel’s mother and her friends for a tribute.
« The pain I have inside me is unbearable, I can’t even describe it to you »: in front of the crowd who came to pay tribute to her son Nahel, Mounia Merzouk courageously spoke, stifling her sobs. “ No matter what we do, we can’t take your child away like that, we don’t deserve that. We didn’t put our hands on you to have your notice taken away from you overnight like that »,
At these words, Farid could not help but think of his children. How, in a so-called rule of law, are we going to tell our children, “watch out for the police?“, he said with a keffiyeh on his shoulders, like many this afternoon in Nanterre. Because I know, unfortunately, that during a check-up, my children may not come home. »
After a silent march against police impunity, a few drops of rain accompanied a prayer. All on the square where, a year ago, Nahel lost his life.
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