In a telephone interview with a French news broadcaster, the grandmother, identified as Nadia, and whose grandson was known as Nahel, urged the rioters to refrain from acts of violence and destruction. She said, “Don’t break windows, buses… schools. We want to calm things down.” This plea comes on the sixth consecutive night of unrest following Nahel’s death.
Expressing her grief, the grandmother stated, “Nahel is dead. My daughter is lost… she doesn’t have a life anymore.” She expressed her anger towards the officer who killed her grandson but emphasized that she did not hold a general grudge against the police. She expressed faith in the justice system as France grapples with one of its most significant social upheavals in recent years.
The officer responsible for Nahel’s death has been charged preliminarily with voluntary homicide. Incidents involving fatal shootings by French police during traffic stops have prompted calls for greater accountability. Last year, thirteen people who did not comply with traffic stops were fatally shot by police, and three have been shot this year.
On a separate note, Mayor Vincent Jeanbrun of L’Hay-les-Roses, a southern suburb, revealed that his wife and one of their children, aged five and seven, were injured while escaping their home during the early hours of the morning. The incident has sparked further outrage among authorities.